Ever Forwards
by Wenyuewen
Summary: After being injured at the Stillshrine of Miriam, Vaan is reluctantly left behind to heal. Separated from the others, Vaan is swept into a tense journey back north with allies Vaan isn't sure he can bear to be around. (eventual slash, Vaan/Gabranth)
1. Chapter 1: New Alliances

_Synopsis_ : After being injured at the Stillshrine of Miriam, Vaan is reluctantly left behind to heal. Separated from the others, Vaan is swept into a tense journey back north with allies Vaan isn't sure he can bear to be around. (eventual Vaan/Gabranth)

 _Warnings_ : Slash, violence, and a considerable age difference between Vaan and Gabranth.

 _Disclaimer_ : The world of Ivalice and the characters that appear within it are property of Square Enix. This is a work of fan fiction.

 _Notes:_ This may be a slow updating fic, as I am writing it to offset writers block for some other stories. Thank you to anyone who reads and finds the concept entertaining enough to stick with it.

 _ **Chapter 1: New Alliances**_

Vaan can tell as soon as the adrenaline from battle fades that the wound on his leg is a lot worse than he'd thought. Close to the end of the battle - when all the others had run dry of magick - he'd been so wrapped up in frantically casting Hastes and Curas to keep his allies fighting that he'd let the esper Mateus too close.

The resulting wound had been easy to ignore while the adrenaline of battle coursed through him. But as he watches Basch absorb the power of the Esper into himself, the haze of battle clears and the pain becomes quickly unbearable. Princess Ashe and Basch waste no time proceeding to next room as soon as Basch is finished. Instead of following, Vaan slumps to the dirty ground, groaning and fumbling for a potion. He chugs the liquid at the same time he uses the last of his magick to cast one more weak Cure.

"Vaan!" Penelo cries as she ran to his side. Fran is close behind, and upon seeing his leg manages to find enough of her own magick left to cast another healing spell.

"It's alright, Penelo. Just got a bit careless," Vaan says as lightly as he could manage. The last thing he needs right now was his friend going into full-on mother hen mode.

"The leg will heal, but even were our magic at full strength it alone would not repair the damage instantly," Fran concludes after peering closely at the wound. "You will limp a few days. I imagine the hike back to Bur-Omisace will not be easy on you."

"Great," Vaan groans in reply as the two women helped him to his feet. Together, the three of them follow after the others into the final depths of the Stilshrine of Miriam.

…

Seeing the smoke from the direction of Bur-Omisace, the first thing Vaan feels is shock and panic. The others have noticed the ominous cloud as well, and instantly begin speculating about what must have happened - though everyone was aware enough to assume whatever it was it had to do with the Archadian Empire.

Vaan is just as eager as the others to race back to the refugee filled city and discover what evil had happened. Lost in thought, the thief takes a quick step forward, only to be reminded of his injury as a sharp jolt arcs through his leg. Walking on even, solid ground is hard enough at the moment - Vaan's heart sinks as he realizes that he won't be able to keep up with the others as they race back through the icy and mountainous Paramina Rift.

And Vaan knows in his gut that there was no time to waste.

"You guys need to leave me here," Vaan says before he can chicken out.

Penelo, Balthier and Basch are not happy with the suggestion, all speaking over each other with objections. But there is no time for them to really convince themselves that Vaan's suggestion is anything other than their only option at the moment. It takes less than two minutes for the protests to wear down.

"Vaan, please," Penelo says softly, trying once last time to convince her friend not to stay behind.

"With my leg I can't hike up the mountain right now. Not as fast as you guys need to go," Vaan reminds them, pinning Penelo with a beseeching look. "I'll be fine here."

With that decided, Ashe herds the others off.

"We'll be back soon, don't you worry," Balthier says as he gently leads Penelo away. Then he calls back over his shoulder towards the wounded boy. "Oh, and do try to stay out of trouble Vaan."

Vaan grins as he sees Penelo elbow the sky pirate sharply in the side.

…

Vaan's good humor fades quickly as he is left on his own. The boy never had done well in solitude. Back home in the Dalmascan capital, Rabanastre, he had always been in motion - stealing from the Archadian Imperials, hunting rats in the sewers, practicing his Time Magicks on the Cactoids in the Estersands. Anything to keep his mind busy and moving forwards. When you're a war orphan, living in a town occupied by the enemy, thinking of happier days in the past brought nothing but pain.

But now Vaan finds himself too injured to wander, too exhausted to cast spells, and too worried to focus on anything other than the billowing, dark smoke in the distance.

Is it thicker than it was earlier?

Was it an accident or an attack?

Are the others okay?

"Vaan!" The familiar sound of Larsa's voice startles Vaan out of his vigil. He tears his gaze away from the smoke in the sky and stares at the unexpected form of the Archadian Prince in front of him. They had travelled here together, yet after learning the news of the Archadian Emperor's death, Larsa had left the group. Vaan had assumed the young boy had left to return home already.

"Larsa? What are you...," Vaan changes his mind about what he was about to ask, realizing that if Larsa was arriving then he may have come across Penelo on the way. "Did you see the others?"

"The others? They are not here?" Larsa's reply answers Vaan's question. The thief deflates instantly and looks back up at the sky.

"They went back to Bur-Omisace. My leg's messed up so I stayed here," Vaan admits, flushing with shame at his weakness.

"Our paths must have just missed each other then, I'm afraid."

A jangling of metal is all the warning Vaan has before another voice fills the quiet, serene silence of the shrine's entrance. "No one pursues us, my lord. It looks like our ruse has worked."

Vaan is startled at hearing Basch's voice - as strangely muffled as is it. But when he looks over to the speaker, Vaan realises his mistake instantly. Of course it isn't Basch - Larsa had just said he hadn't run into the others. No, Vaan is staring right at the _other_ one. The twin who years ago had masqueraded as Basch, killed the king and left Vaan's brother dying and labelled as a traitor.

"You," Vaan hisses, glaring at the man while his fingers inch towards his blade.

The armored helm turns to the glaring boy, then back towards Larsa - Vaan is dismissed in moments. "My lord?"

"Gabranth, this is Vaan. I told you of him, he has assisted me a few times now," Larsa introduces the boy calmly. "He is most trustworthy, I assure you."

The armored helm turns towards Vaan once more, this time lingering much longer on the boy. Vaan shifts on his feet, hand on his blade hilt. "If you insist, my lord."

Before Vaan can retort - or try to attack the man, he isn't sure which - Larsa speaks up. "An Archadian fleet was sent here to bring me back to Archadia. It seems my brother wishes to have me firmly under his control. Gabranth arrived shortly before the fleet. He got me out before they landed, told the Kilitas we would head north and return to Archadia immediately." Larsa looks sadly at the smoke in the distance. "Then, we headed south, to hide here until the search moves elsewhere."

"Smart move," Vaan says, knowing the tactic well from his days of hiding in the sewers as angry Imperial guards pass overhead, searching for the urchin who stole their money.

"I fear what the lie may bring to other villages and towns, however. I fear what they have done to this peaceful place," Larsa looks his age at the admission - a lost boy out of his depth. But as soon as Vaan notices it, the expression smooths over to it's normal elegance.

"You are the Empire's hope, my lord," Gabranth states calmly. "You are our only hope for peace over war."

Vaan takes one last look at the smoke before turning towards the entrance to the shrine. "We should get inside, so no airships will spot us."

"That would be wise, but I am reluctant to lead the prince into such a dangerous location. Rumors of the strong monsters inside are known even in Archadia."

"It'll be fine. There's a crystal I can get us too, and the monsters probably are still scattered from when I went through earlier." Vaan says, cursing every moment for agreeing with anything the monster beside him says. He stops talking and glares at the armored figure.

Larsa cuts through the tension with an agreement, "Let us go inside then. I do not wish to reunite with my brother under such circumstances as these."

Vaan keeps his hand on the hilt of his blade and Larsa between himself and Gabranth, but together they all head inside the Stilshrine. He does his best to hide his limp, but judging by the potions Larsa keeps handing him and the burning gaze he keeps feeling wash over him, his weakness from the injury is obvious.

"We really are luckily we just cleaned this place out," Vaan murmurs as they dispatch a Seeker bat. He's hobbling a bit, off center and not as fast as usual, but able to make due. "There were tons of monsters here earlier. We could barely move two steps without some skeleton popping out at us."

"This is quite fortunate, then," Larsa agrees politely.

The rest of the journey to the depth of the Stillshrine passes in awkward silence. Vaan's itching to confront the man to his side, but uses all his self control to hold his tongue for Larsa's sake. Vaan heaves a sigh of relief as they reach the crystal in the shrine's depths - finally a safe place for them to rest. And after moving so much on his bad leg as well as the stress from being near the Archadian Judge, he was exhausted.

Gabranth is the first to sit, leaning against the wall and removing his helmet. For the first time, Vaan sees the face of the Judge - a colder and more clean-cut version of Basch's face. The differences between this face and Basch's are more disturbing than the similarities. Unsettled, Vaan almost wishes they were still moving. At least then there would be more to look at and think about than the face of his brother's murderer.

"This sucks," the boy can't help but say, as he plops down on the ground.

Larsa sits down primly beside him. "It has been a trying day, I admit," The boy agrees. "But I thank you for your assistance once more."

There is a sadness that Vaan had never heard in the younger boy's voice before. Larsa was so proper, so smart and sharp, it was easy to forget how young he was. And that he just this morning discovered his father is dead. Losing a parent is a pain that Vaan knew very well.

"I'm not sorry the emperor is dead," Vaan says softly. "But I am sorry you lost your dad."

Larsa looks towards the ground, jaw clenched. "Thank you," he says.

…

Larsa falls into an exhausted sleep not long after.

As tired as Vaan is and as much as he wishes he could do the same, he can't bring himself to close his eyes. Not with Penelo and the others still gone. Not with Gabranth sitting on the other side of the crystal, a quiet, fearsome presence.

"I must thank you, Vaan. For protecting Larsa when I cannot."

The voice echos in the chamber.

"Shut up," Vaan says coldly. "Don't talk to me."

Silence falls.

Vaan's restlessness emerges again. Even now, he finds sitting still difficult. He wants to move, wants to hit something. Wants to fight.

"Gah," He groans, slamming his head back on the wall. But he's too tired to move any further than that, especially with his leg still aching. But his frustration is building, and it needs an outlet. He glances over at Basch's brother, and all the rage he feels bubbles to the surface.

"Reks was my brother." The man looks up over to Vaan, face unreadable. "Do you even remember him? He died with everyone thinking he was a traitor. Because of you."

Gabranth says nothing for a long moment. Shadows of the past flicker across his face. Then he looks straight at Vaan, eyes meeting and smoldering with the pain of the past. "I remember the boy. He was a good soldier. A loyal soldier. And a perfect tool."

Vaan's fist aches from how hard he slams it on the ground. "Reks was a person. Not a tool."

"Your brother was a soldier. All soldiers are tools of their countries." Gabranth counters.

"He didn't deserve what you did to him."

Gabranth hums softly, but doesn't shy away from Vaan's accusing glare as he replies. "Probably not. But his fate helped stop the war. Dalmasca lost, but at least the war never reached further south than Nalbina. The soldiers that died by my hand that day probably saved you and your friends from dying in the weeks that followed."

"That's not why you did it though, is it?"

"It was not the reason. As I said, soldiers are tools, used at the command of their masters." the admission is weary. "But it made what I did bearable. It let me sleep that night, as well as I ever can."

"Shut up," Vaan's voice cracks when he demands silence once more. But the older man obeys and says not another word. Both sit in the darkness, lost in their own emotions and memories of the past.

….

A howling echoes through the chamber.

Vaan hobbles to his feet, looking at Gabranth then towards the small corridor leading away from the chamber where the sound had come from. "We didn't go that way earlier," the boy whispers, slipping into 'dangerous mysterious enemy ahead' mode.

The howl rips through the air once more and Vaan grimaces. "How likely do you think it is that whatever that is is powerful enough to get near the crystal?"

Gabranth stands and puts on his helmet. His voice is muffled when it replies, "I won't risk find out with Lord Larsa here."

"Let's go check it out, then," Vaan agrees, casting another Cure at his leg to temporarily ease the pain that still fills it.

The pair creeps through the darkness and into a great hall nearby. In the center, is a dark figure. One of its arms ends in a giant claw that glows a deep and threatening orange. The hulking form turns towards Vaan and Gabranth. The boy curses as he recognises the feel of the power that radiates from the figure, "Another esper?"

Gabranth doesn't look away from the threat, but does ask, "You've seen more than one?"

" _Zeromus sees you,_ " The voice crawls through the air underneath another high howl. Vaan steps backwards, suddenly frightened - neither Belias nor Mateus had actually spoken. It was more unsettling than he'd expected. Gabranth meanwhile has moved away from the entrance, attempting to circle around the esper. " _There is blood upon you hands_. _I condemn you to death, for you crimes. Relish the end, pitiful hume."_

Then the creature turns, zeroing in on Gabranth and swiping at the man with a giant, glowing claw. As soon as it moves, the familiar tang of a time magick casting fills the air. Vaan sees the spell hit the Judge, and the man instantly slow to a crawl. With the esper fully focused in on Gabranth, Vaan has a perfect opening to retreat back to the crystal. He turns to do just that before hesitating.

"Keep moving, Vaan," the boy tells himself. Behind him, he hears the older warrior grunt out in pain and the esper screams in fury. "Keep moving forwards, right Penelo?" He asks his absent friend before turning around.

Decision made, Vaan reaches into his partially restored magic reserves. He casts out a flurry of Haste, Protect, Shell on both himself and Gabranth. Feeling the magic speed his thinking and muscles, Vaan lets the adrenaline hide the lingering pain in his leg as he dives into battle.

Gabranth adjusts with ease to the additional participant in the battle. He keeps the esper distracted with heavy blows from two strange, massive swords. The fighter uses no magicks, but Vaan is able to supplement the strong attacks with his own physical and magical ones.

A thrust of the Gabranth's sword, pinning the creature in place as a blast of Fire washes over it. The judge blocks a retaliating blow as Vaan darts behind the beast - slower than normal, but fast enough - to deliver a series of slashes to its back. Then another slash and magical blast. Over and over the two attack and move around, throwing everything they have into surviving the battle.

It's obvious when the esper is weakening, as it's screams of rage grow louder and its attacks begin coming faster. Vaan's leg finally gives out and he fails to dodge a great sweeping of the esper's claw. The blow knocks Vaan halfway across the room and into the metal covered body of Gabranth. Both humes fall to the ground in a heap, but Gabranth is getting up again an instant later, pulling the boy behind him. "We must stop it quickly," He says, looking around for something - anything - that can turn the battle around.

Vaan nods and closes his eyes, not bothering to move away from the man. As he focuses, the air shifts, then becomes heavy. It takes longer than it should for Gabranth to recognize a Quickening, mostly because the Judge would not have imagined such a boy able to channel the Mist in such a difficult way.

Red and blue light wraps around the esper, and Gabranth quickly reaches into himself to call out his own Quickening magick. While Vaan charges up for another attack, Gabranth releases his own - chains of bright white light exploding out of the ground and pulling the esper into the ground. Then the red and blue wraps around the creature once more.

In the end, they manage to keep the chain going long enough for the esper to fall. As soon as the crystal holding the glyph clatters to the ground, Vaan and Gabranth both slide to the ground in an exhausted heap. Vaan doesn't have enough energy to move from where he landed on top of the armor clad man, and just lies still - panting and gasping from exhaustion and pain.

A gauntlet covered hand rests on Vaan's back. "You should have run," the owner is gasping for breath as well.

"Yeah, probably," Vaan admits, not even able to process how weird this situation is thanks to his utter and total exhaustion. Instead he stays right where he is, as the two try to rest and recover now that the threat had passed.

…...

Vaan startles away as the cool tingle of a Cure spell washes over him. Groaning, he picks his head up from his metal pillow. Then, realizing just what - or who - his pillow was, he quickly stands. His leg complains even louder than before, now that he'd pushed it again in battle, but he ignores it in favor of looking for the caster of the healing spell. "Larsa?"

The boy is standing in the entrance to the hall, a strange look on his face as Vaan and Gabranth both wake and reorient themselves. "I woke to find you both gone. Was there trouble?"

Realizing how odd finding them in the middle of a monster-infested dungeon asleep on top of each other must have been - especially considering the issues between himself and Gabranth, Vaan rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Yeah, you could say that."

Gabranth has moved over and picked up the glyph, forgotten on the ground. "An esper was here, my lord." He says. Vaan notices the twinge of awe in his voice. He isn't immune to awe himself either - this one had been on an entire other level from Mateus and Belias. "Zeromus, the Condemner," The man reads from the glyph.

"I see," Larsa says reluctantly, sounding disturbed and unsure. He casts another round of Cure spells then looks around the chamber. "I'm going to take a look around." The boys walks off, avoiding a few glowing trap ruins as he explores the empty room.

Gabranth watches the young prince for a long moment, assuring himself of the boy's safety. Then the Judge turns and moves to stand before Vaan. "This is yours, Vaan," he says, placing the crystal in Vaan's hands.

Vaan may be naive and a bit dense at times, but given their talk earlier and just who this esper is, Vaan can tell the enormity of the action. It is like a prisoner handing the executioner his blade. Taking the crystal, Vaan opens himself to the esper - the crystal glows and melts into his skin. A shimmering light carrying the glyph moves over Vaan's skin, coming to rest just behind the boy's neck. Then the light fades and Vaan gasps as the glyph becomes a part of his skin.

It burns, and a voice hisses into his mind - demanding justice, demanding an execution, demanding vengeance for past wrongs.

Eyes clenched shut, Vaan breaths deeply, adjusting to the faint presence in his mind. Zeromus has an alluring call, but even as the esper suggests Vaan destroy Gabranth, but the single minded fury and drive in the esper's cry frightens Vaan. The esper holds a darkness within its mind that Vaan shies away from - he's lost within the past, something that Vaan has learned to avoid. In the early days, after the war decimated Rabanastre and misery was everywhere, Vaan had seen memories and rage cause people to wither away and die. Better to look forward and survive. Better to dream of and work for a better future instead of letting the past win.

"I hate you for what you did. No matter what your reasons were, I don't think I'll ever forgive your past," Vaan says as he opens his eyes. "But I won't be like Zeromus. I can't live in the past, longing to right all the wrongs done back then. Just… know that I won't hesitate to kill you if you do anything in the present to deserve it."

Gabranth's eyes widen slightly at Vaan's words, and the boy takes a small bit of pleasure in surprising the stoic, older man.

"Likewise, Vaan," The man replies.

The click of Larsa's boots grows louder as he returns towards where the others stand. Reaching Vaan, he casts yet another healing spell at both men, then speaks, "It looks like there's an opening into some tunnels at the other end of this hall. If I recall my geography lessons correctly, the Kinmuth Caverns are in this area. We may be able to make our way to them from here. The Kinmuth Caves stretch north, so could be the best way travel. It probably is safer than travelling overland, as we wish to avoid notice of the Archadia."

Vaan looks over into the darkness towards where Larsa is gesturing. When he entered the shrine with Larsa and Gabranth, he'd only intended to wait out the heat of the Arcadian invasion with the pair until his friends returned. But what Gabranth had said hours earlier - about the prince being their best chance at getting peace - well, Vaan realized he agreed with the words.

When he first met Princess Ashe and the others, he's wholeheartedly agreed that helping her regain her throne would guarantee independence for Dalmasca and guarantee Arcadia left them in peace. But nothing was that simple. Arcadia was strong and had a long reach. Even is Ashe stood on the throne, as long as people like Larsa's brother Vayne were in power, Vaan knew his homeland would never be free.

So Larsa was their best chance - if he could get the prince back to Arcadia, Larsa would be able to use his influence to quietly remove his brother from power. Larsa wanted peace, and would work for it. Hell, he was crawling around in dungeons with only one judge and a thief to protect him because he was so determined on doing all he could to ensure peace.

Larsa had approached Vaan while the thief stood lost in thought. His words bring the thief back into the moment. "Vaan, I understand that you are simply here awaiting the return of the others. Please don't-"

"The others can make it back to Rabanastre on their own. And you'll need me if you want to sneak around Dalmasca under the radar - I've been doing it for years." Vaan says with a casual acceptance he doesn't quite feel. "We can work on convincing the others to help us once we're all rested and back in familiar territory."

Larsa's pleased grin is bright, even under the grime of the dirt covering it. "Thank you, Vaan. I shouldn't be surprised at this point by your willingness to help."

Vaan sighs, and finds his eyes drawn over to where Gabranth looms in the shadows. Was he really ready to leave the others and travel for weeks, fight countless monsters standing beside the man who helped orchestrate the death of his brother?

"Don't mention it. Seriously."

"We should be off, then," The armored judge finally speaks up, now that all the decisions were made. "We are tired, but best quit this place before more monsters return."

Together, the three of them return to the crystal to fetch the rest of their supplies. Vaan pauses a moment to leave a message for Penelo, then hurries to join the others by the opening that had broken open in the fight. As soon as all three are through and a safe distance away, Vaan stops for a moment, using the little magick power he'd regained in the too-short rest to cast a small Quake spell. The ground by the opening shudders, and rocks collapse - cutting the path off from from the shrine.

"Gotta cover our tracks," He shrugs in explanation as the cold metal visage on Gabranth's helm turns to look towards him. "Always move forwards."

…

It is almost four full days before Princess Ashe's party is able escape the chaos that had erupted in Bur-Omisace and return to the Stillshrine of Miriam to find Vaan. By now, everyone - even the princess herself - is anxious about reuniting with their missing member. Penelo all but throws a fit when they arrive at the front of the shrine and find no Vaan waiting there.

"Perhaps he sought shelter from the cold inside. Let us make haste to the crystal we found in the depths," Balthier says, wasting no time in quickly walking towards the entrance, Penelo a mere half step behind him.

"The princess and I will wait out here, in case he wandered somewhere outside and simply hasn't returned yet," Basch says. Fran nods in acknowledgement and follows her partner and Penelo inside.

Many monsters have returned, so it takes an agonizingly long time for the small party to reach the crystal. When they arrive, Penelo's attention is instantly caught by a drawing crudely scratched on the wall. Shining in the blue glow of the crystal is a cactoid in a vest, a lily and a blob that Penelo thinks is supposed to be a sunstone.

"Vaan, you have so much explaining to do when I get my hands on you," the girl growls at the wall.

"That is a message from him, then?" Balthier asks, looking at the drawing as well.

"Yeah," Penelo nods before kneeling down and scratching out the drawings until they are unrecognizable. "We'll meet him back in Rabanastre."

"Then you are right. He will have quite a bit of explaining to do," Fran says, resting her warhammer in her hands and shaking her head at the wall. "Let us be off. We have a reunion to attend."

…


	2. Chapter 2: Journey North

_Disclaimer_ : The world of Ivalice and the characters that appear within it are property of Square Enix. This is a work of fan fiction.

 **Chapter 2: Journey North**

Vaan had thought that the Paramina Rift must be the coldest place in all of Ivalice when he and the others had first arrived there. His thin desert blood couldn't keep him warm, and he learned quickly how to move and fight with numb arms and legs.

But if Paramina was cold, the caverns Vaan and his strange new party emerged into were freezing.

Vaan nearly cries in relief when they spot the calm blue glow of a crystal, signalling a safe place to rest. Larsa wastes no time moving around the area looking for sticks or any other sort of fuel to use to light a fire they can warm themselves with. Gabrath moves off to a small enclave and removes the outermost layer of his armor, careful not to touch the freezing cold metal with his bare skin. Vaan watches this all with bleary eyes, realizing he should put down his sword, but unable to get his hands to listen to him.

"It's burning," He says as he stares at his uncooperative fingers. "I didn't know cold could burn."

Larsa and Gabranth both focus their attention on Vaan at his words. Seeing the boy standing still and shaking, Larsa turns to the older man, "Gabranth, what is happening?"

The judge finishes pulling off the armor around his legs and moves over to the Dalmascan.

"You need to warm yourself lest you lost your limbs," he says matter of factly, taking the boy's free hand in both of his own and exhaling onto the skin.

"No kidding," Vaan is still out of it. Distracted by his burning and tingling arms, he doesn't even notice when Gabranth maneuvers Vann into sitting down, leaning on the big man's chest. He does notice when Gabranth calls Larsa over and the young imperial slips between Vaan's legs and leans back into the boy. "Sorry about this, Vaan," Larsa says, flushing with embarrassment.

Vaan just hums a bit and leans his head back, wincing at the heat bringing feeling back to his body and sending sharp tingles up and down his skin. It's several minutes before Vaan allows himself to think about how weird the situation is. It had been a long time since he'd really had any human contact. Penelo and him used to curl together on the long nights when fear and grief caught up with them, but beside that Vaan was always putting on brave front.

But here he was, wedged between a member of the imperial family and the man who caused the death of his brother and too out of it to really care about anything other than how grateful he is for the heat returning to his face. His fingers twitch and Vaan grinned at the movement. Finally warm enough to think, Vaan tries to work through his options. He'd had to come up with a lot of creative solutions to problems, growing up an orphan in Lowtown with no money or resources, so he was confident he'd think of something.

Getting additional clothes was out of the question - they had no resources until they made it out of the caverns. So Vaan was left with magick.

Years ago, right before the war broke out, Penelo had caught the plague that had ravaged the city of and Reks had stood guard over Penelo's beside while her parents had looked for any healer available and willing to look at their daughter for the little gil they had saved up. Vaan, desperate to help in some way, had learned how to cast extremely weak blizzard spells, sending them shooting over the surface of Penelo's forehead and helping to cool her fever.

Maybe the same principle could be applied to a Fire spell...

Larsa yelps a bit as he's singed by too-strong flames that Vaan casts. Gabranth reacts instantly by hauling Vaan up and pushing him away the cavern wall the man had been leaning against - putting the judge between Vaan and the prince.

"Ow! Sorry Larsa," Vaan gasps past the pain in his chest.

"What the hellfires are you trying to pull, boy?" The words are growled straight into his ear, and Vaan can't help but enjoy the heat from the breath that warms his ear.

"Trying to find a way to stay warm."

"Lord Larsa is not acceptable kindling, boy" Gabranth responds. Despite the continued cold in his limbs and the growl that remained in the man's voice, Vaan almost thinks the judge is making a joke.

Shaking his head to clear it of the insane thought, Vaan waits for another roll of shivers to rack through his body. "I- I said sorry. I was trying to use a fire spell. To warm up."

Gabranth stares into Vaan's eyes.

"It was a bit too strong," Vaan continues.

"Gabranth, that's enough," Larsa cuts in, placing a hand on the big man's leather covered elbow and attempting to wedge himself in between the two. "Vaan, perhaps you should attempt that once more?"

Gabranth lets go of the thief, but does not move too far away. Vaan just shrugs, not too upset by the closeness of the man since it also means the slight warmth from the man helps to keep Vaan from freezing once more. The boy closes his eyes and focuses, letting out just the slightest bit of magic, he channels it into the weakest fire spell he could imagine. Trying not to tense, he releases the spell. It washes over his abdomen, leaving behind a gentle warmth that seeps deep into his muscles.

Vaan sighs deeply at the feeling before smiling at his victory. He repeats the process again and again, until Vaal feels comfortable and regains full feeling in all of his limbs. "You gotta admit, you're surprised to see the Dalmascan street kid being so great at magic, huh?" Vaan laughs with a shoddy attempt at a smirk. Larsa smiles warmly and answers with a polite affirmative while Gabranth simply snorts and moves to light a fire.

That night, Vaan sleeps close to the fire Gabranth built up. Just to be safe, before he closes his eyes, he casts a few more fire spells to embed more warmth.

…..

Gabranth manages to put together enough edible food for all of them late the next day, mixing some dried fruit and nut rations Vaan had in his pack with the tough flesh of a Gigantoad they'd killed earlier that day.

"Not bad, for a traitor," Vaan gives in to the urge to throw a dig at the man. Zeromus's whispering had been especially annoying today, mixing in with Vaan's own foul temper from the ever present darkness and the lingering cold. Even shooting the soft Fire spells down his arms and legs, the numbness still made him weary and constantly uncomfortable. All in all, the boy was raring for an argument, and he wasn't cruel enough to pick a fight with Larsa.

"It is hard to betray a country you never served,"

"I'm not talking about Dalmasca, I'm talking about Basch," Vaan bites back. "You know, the brother you framed, then locked up in alone in a dungeon for years?"

Gabranth does not reply to Vaan's accusations. Seeing the man uncharacteristically unable to come up with an explanation or way to wave off his betrayal, Vaan quickly loses the sharpest edge of his anger. The boy could admit that things were easier when he _understood_ the motives behind the judge's actions. It had helped to know that Reks's fate had been intentional, calculated, even while it hurt to know how easily the man tossed Reks to the wolves. "Why didn't you just kill him?" Vaan finally finds the words to ask what he really wanted to know. "Why keep him around and risk him running into a bunch of sky pirates and escaping?"

Vaan's dimly aware that Larsa has woken up, from how the boy shifts and peers over at the pair. He says nothing, however, so Vaan ignores the audience and instead observes the judge.

"I admit," Gabranth finally speaks after an agonizingly long silence. "That keeping him alive was, in part, a betrayal as well. Of Archades."

"What do you mean?"

"A part of me was pleased, when I discovered my brother's escape." And there is was, the one answer Gabranth could possibly give that Vaan felt he truly could understand and relate too. No politics, no strategy, just a hope that one's brother would live on.

Their eyes meet, and Vaan sees the honesty in them, as well as pain. Whatever he's feeling bad about - betraying Achades, betraying his brother - Vaan decides it doesn't matter. No matter what the nagging whispers of Zeromus in his mind would suggest, Vaan has already decided not to condemn this man for the past - at least not in any way other than the occasional heated exchange.

"Good night, Gabranth," Vaan says. Gabranth's shoulders sag in obvious relief when the conversation ends. He wastes no time lying down near the crystal, turning so his back is facing the boy.

"Good night, Vaan."

….

Things become easier in the following week of travel. Not easy - far, far from easy - but Vaan is able to put aside the worst of his anger and hate as the party blindly makes its way through the ancient caverns. He falls into his normal routine of chatting with Larsa - doing his best to keep the younger boy from lingering on his grief and fears of the future and instead taunting him with crazy stories. For the most part, Gabranth is a quiet companion, staying in the background and not speaking.

It helps.

In the evenings, when they all gather around the glow of a crystal and eat cold trail rations and stare at each other, sometimes Vaan loses his reign on his temper. Other times it's Gabranth who taunts the boy for his naivete. Once it was Larsa who snapped and yelled at them both - shocking everyone into silence for the rest of the night. There is no Penelo to smooth things over. No Fran to stare them down until they behave. No Balthier to gracefully change the course of the conversations when they go south. So when tempers flare, they don't cool again until harsh words have been spoken, until barbs have been thrown and old angers have been rehashed.

But every morning they get up and ignore the scars and scabs they'd picked at on each other the night before and move on. No grudges, no passive aggressive reminders of heated exchanges the night before. No matter how much of a brat Vaan is at night when his temper runs hot, things are always the same in the morning.

It's a sad, but novel sort of freedom.

Even now, the arrival of 'morning' softens the memory of the bitter words that had been exchanged the night before. This time, Gabranth had thrown the first verbal punch, accusing Vaan of using the memory of his brother to excuse his childish impulses. Vaan had responded with his normal amount of ill-thought through rage while Larsa had just laid down and tried to muffle the bickering with his now-grey gloves.

Coming awake into the ever present dark of the caverns, Vaan groans and rolls over. He groans even louder when his flop is interrupted by a pile of cold metal armor. "Gabranth, move your crap," Vaan groans. A deep chuckle sounds and the older warrior shifts where he lays several feet away. Besides that, he doesn't move any further.

"Gabranth," Vaan tries again.

"Just move somewhere else, Vaan," Larsa is half asleep when he chimes in and Vaan can't even tell where on the ground the boys has curled up. But if Larsa is getting grumpy, then Vaan decides to take the high road and move. He rolls back the way he came and keeps rolling until he bumps into Gabranth.

"Gabranth, move your crap," Vaan repeats his initial complaint.

He's taken by surprise when an arm wraps around the boy. And then he's hauled up and over the man, landing on the ground on the other side. "Better?" Gabranth asks smugly, as Vaan splutters and flails around on the ground.

…

Vaan has never spent so long without a glimpse of sunlight. Even when he was escaping the dungeons earlier that year with Balthier, Fran and Basch, they'd made it through the caves and tunnels within a couple of days. The boy couldn't say for sure how long he'd been in these caverns now, but he was very certain that it was far longer than a couple of days.

He was unable to hide how much it was wearing on him, this constant darkness. His dreams are filled with the wide open deserts and plains he's familiar with. Every time he wakes into the cold darkness, he feels more sluggish and depressed. It was affecting his abilities in battle as well - as he dispatches yet another Gigantoad with a sweep of his blade, he grimaces, aware of how his reaction time is slightly slower than normal.

"Gah!" Vaan yells in frustration, stabbing his blade into the body of the Gigantoad once more for good measure.

"Vaan?" Lasra's voice is hesitant - the boy doesn't try to hide his insecurities here in the darkness alone with his loyal guard and his Dalmascan friend. "Is there anything wrong?"

"Yeah, there is," Vaan says shortly. Bending down, he begins cutting out some meat for them to cook and eat next time they stop for a rest. It feels like the darkness is closing in on him, pressing into his eyes and lungs and smothering him.

"Are you injured?" Gabranth asks, coming to crouch near the boy. He almost places a metal covered hand on Vaan's arm before moving it instead to rest on the body of the monster before them. Even still, the thief can feel the coldness emanating from the metal and quickly casts a few light Fire spells over his skin. "Vaan."

"Yeah, I mean no, I'm not injured," Vaan says. Shaking his head and setting aside the bundle of meat he'd gathered. The solid presence of Gabranth doesn't move and inch, prompting Vaan to continue, "It's just… dark."

Larsa crouches beside Vaan, helping to put the meat into the ouch they're using to store food for cooking. "We will surely find a way out before long," the boy says softly. Vaan smiles at the tone - it sounds more like a question than the authoritative statements Larsa used when travelling with Vaan, Penelo and the others south.

"Yeah," Vaan replies, looking at the boy and then at Gabranth.

He doesn't feel any better, but he's not about to tell Larsa that.

…...

The party's spirits raise considerably when they finally spot a beacon of sunlight ahead - they had finally found an exit. Vaan and Larsa move with an enthusiasm Gabranth himself can almost match.

The relief they feel upon finally seeing sunlight up ahead doesn't last long. Heavy Mist hangs in the air and silhouettes of monsters in the distance flicker through the ominous light. "Where are we?" Vaan says looking into the serious face of Larsa and the metal mask covering Gabranth's face.

"I admit I am not sure. I had expected we'd emerge in Golmore, or further north in the Ozmone plains."

"Well, this sure isn't Golmore," Vaan agrees. He seems to be wracking his brain for some idea of where they had ended up - though Gabranth can't help but wonder what knowledge a boy who seems to have never left Dalmasca until recently could have that the judge himself doesn't. Then the boy continues. "In Jahara, the high-chief told me something about a wood to the south that was thick with ancient Mist. I assumed he meant Golmore once we got there, but there wasn't much Mist there, really. Maybe this is the place he was talking about."

"It is possible," Gabranth's voice is muffled by the armor and he hopes it hides any hint of impressed that comes through. "At least we can assume it as fact and keep moving north."

The silhouettes in the distance flicker and dance in the mist as Gabranth watches them uneasily. "I'm not sure this place it going to let us get through it that easily, though."

He looks to his charge - the prince is grim but determined looking, as is the young man beside him. Gabranth places one hand on each of the boys's shoulders, "Better charge up those Haste spells, then. We'll make a run for it."

…

The party's frantic dash through the Mist covered Feywood is chaos. More than once, one of the three males is hit by an attack from the monsters hiding in the billowing mists and fogs. Each time one of these attacks, they fall instantly. The party is completely out of Phoenix Downs by the time they reach the edge of the Mist, and Vaan's somehow discovered a way to dualcast Haste and Disable spells, charging his magick and casting the spells almost as unconsciously as he had been casting his warming Fire spells in those weeks underground.

"We should rest here," Lasra decrees, once they are safely out of reach of the mist and can see the fringes of Ozmone just beyond a cliff face. Vaan replies by collapsing on the soft grass with a groan. An armored boot nudges the boy's hip gently, causing Vaan to groan louder and swat at the foot.

"It seems we are of an accord then," the young prince has sat down much more primly than the Dalmascan. "Gabranth, please sit and rest as well, the armor of a Judge is heavy to be running in."

"Thank you, Lord Larsa," Gabranth's amused voice filters quietly through his helmet as he begins removing the largest parts of his armor and settling down near the others. He removes his helmet last - these days he is more used to baring his face to his companions. But after so many years hiding it under armor, he still feels quite naked without it to hide his expression.

It is several minutes before Gabranth bothers to speak again. He is aware of Larsa's breathing slowing to the familiar rhythm of sleep. Vaan's breathing as well has slowed, though when the older man glances as him, Vaan's eyes are open and focused on the bright sun above them.

Here in the light, it is easy to see how filthy the boy is. Dirt, dust, mud and blood cake almost every surface of skin. His hair is matted and many shades darker than it was when he first saw the Dalmascan in the shrine. For the first time since they had met, he looks like the poor street kid that the boy often alludes to being. Though, Gabranth glances down at himself and grimaces to realize that he is in just as bad a state.

"I've spent way too much time underground the last few months."

Hearing the Dalmascan's admission, Gabranth raises his head once more to look at Vaan. The boy says nothing else. Soon Gabranth finds himself speaking without fully meaning to, "I spend much of my time indoors or on airships. It is quite novel to be in the open."

Vaan's tired laugh is almost silent. It lasts mere seconds before the laugh turns into the deep and steady breathing of sleep. Gabranth rolls his eyes and doesn't bother hiding the smile that he knows the boy won't see.

…..


	3. Chapter 3: Familiar Ground

_Disclaimer_ : The world of Ivalice and the characters that appear within it are property of Square Enix. This is a work of fan fiction.

 _Notes_ : As promised, this fic has infrequent updates. haha. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

 **Chapter 3: Familiar Ground**

Even though it was out of their way, Vaan insists that the party stop by Jahara before leaving the Ozmone Plains. He figures that Gabranth would be reluctant to make their presence known - there'd be no way to sneak in and out of such a small village - but Vaan was determined to convince the two to stop. So he's been giving his best attempt at being convincing for the last five minutes straight. "-we need to clean up, and you two definitely need to get some less ridiculous clothes to run around in. Remember - incognito?" Vaan continues defending his plan, oblivious to the shared look and nod between the Archadian prince and the Judge.

"Vaan," Larsa begins, only to be cut off by Vaan.

"Wait, there's more! If Penelo and the others have been through here, they'll have stopped by. So the Garif might have some news about recent events, right?" Vaan's waving his hands around by now. Larsa sighs and doesn't try to speak again. "Besides, it's not like the Garif will care who you two are as long as you don't pose a danger to them. They don't seem the type to spill secrets to hostile empires."

"Are you done?" Gabranth asks once the silence has continued for several long moments.

Vaan takes a moment, scratching his head in thought, before nodding.

"Then lead the way."

Vaan gapes at the armor clad man. "What?" He's been expecting to have to repeat his argument a couple more times at least - no one had ever listened to his ideas on his first try to explain them.

"I was trying to tell you," Larsa interjects, placing a dirty glove on Vaan's shoulder. "You're idea is a good one. I agree that it would be wise to stop by Jahara before proceeding into Dalmascan territory."

"Oh," Vaan says. He looks from the young prince to Gabranth. Then he smiles and stretches his arms. "Then follow me!"

…..

Gabranth figures he shouldn't be surprised by the strange Dalmascan at this point, but it is still a small shock to see Vaan not only immediately recognized by the reclusive Garif guarding the gate, but greeted warmly.

"Greetings, young Vaan," the masked man at the gate says as he immediately steps aside to let the party pass through. "And to your comrades as well."

"Hey, Supinelo," Vaan greets in return. "It's been a while! Oh, has Penelo been by?"

"Indeed, Penelo and the others you travelled with before passed by not five days ago. I believe she left a message with Trader Venu for you," the war-chief nods towards where the village trader sits, beyond the bridge.

"Perfect! I needed to talk to Venu anyways," Vaan smiles before heading deeper into the village. Gabranth nods to the guard as he and the prince pass by as well. He quickly ushers Larsa along after Vaan. He was not about to stray far from the only reason these people seemed inclined to welcome the party.

By the time Gabranth catches up to Vaan - it seems in familiar territory the boy is unable to walk at a normal pace - the boy is deep in conversation with the trader he assumes is Venu. "-she'll have to forgive me eventually, not the first time I've disappeared without a word this year," Vaan hears as Gabranth comes to a stop beside him. "Thanks for passing the message, Trader Venu. Oh, and this is Gabranth and Larsa. Guys, this is Trader Venu. Or, maybe you met her already Larsa? I'm not sure if you had time to talk to anyone earlier."

"I did not have the pleasure, no. It is wonderful to meet you Trader Venu," Larsa cuts in with his ingrained smooth grace.

Vaan continues as soon as Venu nods in response. "Anyways, she's going to give us a great deal on clothes, aren't you?" Vaan sends a wide smile towards the trader and quirks his eyebrow playfully. Gabranth is unable to read the merchant's face due to the mask covering it, but assumes by the cock of her head that she is unmoved.

"Let's see what you've brought me before you make assumptions," Venu says blandly, holding out her hand to the boy.

Vaan smirks and plops down in front of the trader, pulling his bag off of his shoulder and opening it with an excited flare. "Trust me, Venu, you'll be begging to give me a great deal once you see some of this stuff!"

Larsa nudges my arm, drawing my attention to my true charge. "I would like to greet the Great-Chief while here, if you don't mind," he whispers, nodding towards a large tent looming in the near distance. "Would you care to join me?"

Gabranth looks back at Vaan and the trader, then at the other Garif going calmly about their day despite their presence. He has honed his ability to detect hidden danger for years. Archadia always being a wasps nest of subtle intentions and threats, he can recognize the stirrings of danger easily. But here, Gabranth realizes he feels no concern for the well being of his prince. He has survived by trusting his instincts, he isn't about to doubt them now.

"You go ahead, I think I will look into finding a place for us to sleep the night," Gabranth says, before removing his helmet. Larsa nods, unable to hide his surprise from the Judge, before heading towards the village leader's tent. Gabranth moves over to Vaan, placing his helmet down and interrupting the boy's negotiations to tell him his the same thing.

"No need," Venu interrupts softly. The trader then points to a tent to her right, "You will rest there, as thanks for the rare goods your boy has brought to the land of the Garif on this day."

Vaan blushes slightly, before turning to grin at Gabranth, "See? Told you I'd get us a great deal."

The judge merely picks back up his helmet and moves towards the tent. "Oh, and there's an area for bathing just a bit further. Look for Kilepnu!" Vaan calls towards the man's retreating back.

…...

"Here, I got you and Larsa both some clothes. I can guarantee you'll look like someone totally different in this - it's loads better than that terrible armor." Vaan ducks into the hut, glancing towards where Gabranth is sitting half covered in the leathers he wears under his armor plating. "I can't believe you put them back on after cleaning up. So much for being clean."

"This armor is a signal of my responsibilities, as well as a much more practical for battle than that monstrosity you wear. What is it, a vest?" Gabranth bites back with a familiar sting. But Vaan also sees the slight tilt in the corner of his mouth and does an internal fist pump at knowing he managed to amuse the stoic older man. Then the man's words about his own outfit sinks in and his face reddens with a blush. One thing he'd noticed in his travels is that few people outside of Lowtown wear or even recognize the old-fashioned garb these days.

"It's traditional," Vaan says in defense, blushing a bit as he runs a nervous hand over the metal clasp holding the vest on. "And it's easy to move in."

"I'm sure it is," Gabranth says with a roll of his eyes. But the hint of a smile is still there so Vaan lets it be and instead simply tosses the pile of garments he held at the man's face.

"Well, congratulations, you're now a Dalmascan hunter. Very comfortable. Moderately generic," then the boy is ducking out of the tent. "I'll be back after I clean up."

…..

Gabranth looks down at himself, dressed in the new clothes. The clothes, the bath, and the trim he'd been able to give his hair and beard made him feel almost human again. He'll have to get some semblance of armor before leaving the Dalmascan region, but the clothing the boy picked for him is satisfactory for the time being. And it is an undeniable relief to be free of the armor and stinking leathers after the long journey through the cave. With the dangers of the journey, he hadn't fully removed the gear for weeks now. Fresh air on his skin feels like a miracle, and he can't stop looking down at how the soft fabric bends across body.

He can't help but wonder if this is how his brother looks now - free of the chains he'd kept them in for so long.

"Larsa's still holed up with the Great-Chief, so I grabbed some food for the two of us to- woah," Vaan cuts himself off as he enters the tent. He blinks slowly at the sight of the man before moving to place the armful of food he's carrying on a small table nearby. "You look a lot more approachable like that. It's good, you look good. I mean, ugh…"

The boy's face is glowing a slight red as he shakes his head. Gabranth bites back a grin of amusement at the thief's habit of speaking himself into embarrassment. Taking pity on the boy, he says nothing and instead quietly moves to sit on the ground near the food. Vaan and Gabranth both dig into their meal, enjoying the fresh fruit and vegetables that was a welcome change from the dry rations and gamey meat they'd made do with since they left Paramina.

The food is almost completely gone before Vaan speaks again, "I thought you'd look more like your brother once we got you in real clothes. But somehow it's the opposite."

The judge is startled by the words and looks at the boy. Seeing him - head cocked and face thoughtful - Gabranth isn't sure how to take the words. So instead of replying or giving in to the strong urge to ask what exactly the boy means, Gabranth excuses himself and heads out to take a walk through the sunset.

He roams the paths of the village, nodding amicably to the Garif who greet him until the sunset had finished and the sky has filled with thousands of sparkling stars. The euphoria and relief of being out in the open fills the man once more, compounded by the lull of safety he feels in this strange village. Instead of heading inside for some much needed rest, he moves to lean against the wooden fence on one of the many bridges that covers the hills of the enclave.

He's lost in thought when the faint sounds of a familiar gait reach his ears. Vaan. He moves aside slightly as the steps grow closer, making room for the boy beside him should the youth wish to join him.

He does.

…..

"It's nice, being in a place we can sleep soundly without huddling next to a crystal, for once."

Gabranth remains leaning against the wooden railing on the bridge, staring at the stars. With his hair grown out a bit and the loose cotton garb he's in, he looks nothing like the fearsome Judge Vaan had first spied in the Nalbina dungeons. But not having the armor also meant his face is no longer hidden, and the expression on it is still as troubled as it had been in the caverns.

"Isn't it?" Vaan asks, suddenly unsure.

Hazel eyes dart to the side, meeting Vaan's own. "There is a bigger threat awaiting us. Now is no time to let our guard down."

"Vayne. Yeah, I know," Vaan says, turning and leaning his back on the railing next to Gabranth. He tilts his head to look at the man's face again. "We'll take care of it. We'll get Larsa back to Archadia, get him in charge, help him put together a peace agreement, and then we'll find something else to fix."

A raised eyebrow is the only response Gabranth find fitting for Vaan's cocky assurance and the boy deflates. "Look, we might fail, but it's not impossible." Gabranth still just gazes skeptically at the boy. Vaan looks away, up at the stars and continues. "A few months ago, before I met Balthier and Fran, I was just another Lowtown orphan. I talked bit about becoming a sky pirate or sticking it to the Archadians, but honestly, the only future I could really look forward to was an early grave from sickness or starvation. But then I left. It was by accident, at first, but now it's not. I stuck along with the others on this crazy journey, even though it's dangerous, because I'm not afraid of the future anymore."

"Are you a fool? You'd think after what you must have seen on your journey, you'd have more to fear from the future, not less." Gabranth's words are cold and impersonal, words spoken by a man who's seen a lot of fools die at the empire's hands. Vaan shivers a bit at the tone, but keeps talking.

"I'm not afraid of the future, because even if we fail, I know now that I can change how things turn out for me. I'm not going to sit back and wait to die, anymore." As he finishes his speech, a hand, for once not covered in metal or leather, touches the side of Vaan's face, redirecting the angle of the boy's head until his gaze meets Gabranth's own. The man's eyes glitter in the starlight, flames from torches causing shadows to dance across his face as he stares silently into Vaan's eyes. The boy breathes in a shakily as Gabranth's thumb sweeps gently across the Vaan's cheek.

"Alright then," Gabranth finally whispers after the moment stretches on. His breath mixes with Vaan's as he speaks. "Tell me you're still not afraid when we're facing down Vayne."

Vaan laughs and his eyes narrow slightly at the challenge. "You bet. I'll show him what's what."

Gabranth's forehead comes to rest against Vaan's own and the thumb sweeps against his cheek again. The man is almost smiling and for once looks something approaching relaxed. Seeing this, Vaan can't help but reach up and wrap his hand around the one resting on his face. Vaan's heart is pounding, but he ignores his nerves in favor of enjoying the moment, especially when Gabranth's other arm comes up to wrap around his back and bring the boy more closely into his embrace. Grinning and refusing to think of anything, Vaan moves his head into the crook of Gabranth's neck and breaths in. As he settles in the new position, Gabranth lets out a deep rumble in his throat; Vaan feels the vibration and Vaan hums in return.

He's not prepared at the moment to think too deeply about what's happening here, instead he just relishes the understanding and warmth and safety he feels right in that moment - trapped in the arms of the man who is still in many ways his enemy.

But Vaan is still Vaan, and even when blissed out from the comfort, only so long can pass before he gets antsy and impulsively opens his mouth again. "So, are you ready to see your brother again?"

The moment shatters as Gabranth deftly changes his warm embrace into an exasperated headlock before Vaan is pushed away. "Go to sleep, you menace."

Vaan laughs and rubs his head as he regains his feet under him. "Night, Gabranth. And… thanks."

….

When Vaan wakes the next morning, he has a small fit of thrashing and berating himself as he remembered how awkward he had acted last night. Cuddling up to Gabranth… what had he been thinking?

When he finishes his thrashing, he realizes that he's alone in the tent. He'd woken twice in the night - once when Larsa had entered and crawled into a bedroll nearby and again a while after when Gabranth did the same. He was surprised to find that they'd both managed to leave without waking him again.

Though he doesn't mind neither of them being there to witness his fit.

He stretches, luxuriating in the feel of soft blankets on his clean skin. It was nice to be out of those caves. So nice, he didn't want to waste any more time inside. He is up and fully dressed in less than a minute. Any reluctance to face Gabranth after his actions last night evaporates in the face of Vaan's excitement to be out in the sun, running around with some freedom.

Outside, he immediately spots Gabranth finishing a conversation with one of the Garif warriors nearby. The man notices the boy as well and gives him a small smile and nod. Vaan waves and tries to force his heart to stop pounding.

"Good morning, young Vaan," Supinelu greets the boy as Vaan almost walks into the Garif - thanks to how distracted he was staring at Gabranth.

"Oh, hey, Supinelu. Sorry, just uh… just waking up."

A throaty chuckles emerges from behind the man's mask as the Garif's head moves gently side to side. "Do not fret, young Vaan. Distraction is part of what makes you so capable."

Vaan's not sure how to take that, so he just nods.

"The Great-Chief and your friend Larsa spoke long into the night. I heard they speak of alliances and the future. If the young lad is to be believes, it will be a bright future indeed, for all of us." Supinelu speaks as he and Vaan begin to walk down to where the war-chief will soon be holding his morning lessons.

"I hope so," Vaan says. "That's why I'm here, after all."

The walk is short and alrea

"You have found many strong companions, young Vaan," the chief speaks quietly as his pupils begin to arrive. "Do not let them go."

Vaan smiles at the words. "I won't, I promise."

Supinelu nods. "Now, go stand by Varelu. Your balance seems off and she will beat some discipline into your stance."

The boy groans, "So much for rest."

…...

They linger in Jahara until after the noon meal, then leave to continue their journey. It takes them all day to reach the edges of the Ozmone Plains, and as sunset turns the sky orange, the trio decide to spend the night in a nearby ruined tower that houses a small crystal inside. The monsters in the area were weak enough that even a small, fledgeling crystal could keep them safe while they sleep.

In Gabranth's eyes, it is clear how excited Larsa is - from what young Vaan had been rambling about all day, it seems the prince is excited not only to see Dalmasca for the first time, but to meet with Vaan's friend Penelo, whom he traveled with for quite some time. Likely also to boy is eager to see a warm bath spend time in a more settled part of the world. As much as the young lord conveys a serene exterior and a willingness to experience life on the road, he is a prince and is unused to the rough living.

Even with his excitement, Larsa falls asleep quickly once they settle. Content that the boy is sleeping peacefully and without trouble, Gabranth looks over at the other member of their party. Their eyes meet in the blue of the crystal's glow - as they had so many times over the past two weeks, Gabranth and Vaan stare silently at each other for a long, quiet moment.

Gabranth wonders what it will be tonight - comfortable silence, burgeoning camaraderie or another fight. Over their journey, they had said many things to each other, and almost all of it true. Gabranth and Vaan have had many painful evenings. But each morning, Gabranth couldn't deny feeling lighter than the morning before - feeling like a wound long infected was beginning to heal. The judge couldn't deny that these days he saw understanding and acceptance in Vaan's eyes more often than the pure rage that greeting him back in Paranima. Yet after how comfortable their encounter had been last night, the judge can admit that his prefers that over even the most lighthearted of bickering matches.

"Vaan," Gabranth breaks the silence, before standing up and moving over to sit next to the boy. All day a question has been burning in his mind that he can't help but ask now that they have some privacy. "Last night, you said 'we'. I did not ask then, but I must now. Once we reunite with your friends, you intend to continue this journey with Lord Larsa and I?"

"Well, yeah," Vaan says matter of factly. "I'm not sure what the others plan to do next, but I'm sure we can convince them to help as well."

Gabranth acknowledges that he should be less surprised by the response than he is. "You seem so sure that the princess and my brother will wish to be in my presence any longer than necessary?"

"I do," Vaan replies, and Gabranth can see the flush that flashes across the Dalmascan's face despite the dim lighting around them. He can't help but smile at the straightforwardness of the boy - it was a more than pleasant change from the politics and backstabbing he has been navigating in Archades for well over a decade as a judge.

"You are a special breed, Vaan," Gabranth admits. "But not everyone is able to look beyond the past as you are determined to do."

"Well, fine," Vaan concedes with a grin. "They can't all be me. But they are pretty practical. The one thing Ashe and Basch want is a restored Dalmasca, and right now you and Larsa are their best shot at getting it."

Gabranth grunts in response and lets the conversation end. The two continue to sit, shoulders pressed against each other, staring at the sight before them - the blue crystal shines gently on the face of young Larsa. Beyond the boy and through the rusted bars of old metal they have camped beneath, monsters roam the Plains and stars shine brightly in the sky.

In the quiet of the night, neither move or speak again. Eventually, Vaan's head dips down to rest on Gabranth's leather-clad shoulder. Gabranth feels the boy next to him shiver; he wraps his arm around the thief's bare shoulders and continues to gaze watchfully upon his prince and the land they they will cross.

…


	4. Chapter 4: Reunions

_Disclaimer_ : The world of Ivalice and the characters that appear within it are property of Square Enix. This is a work of fan fiction.

 _Notes_ : It's been a while since I've updated, and I place about 75% percent of the blame on flu season. x_x Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed, and I hope you enjoy this update.

 **Chapter 4: Reunions**

"Boo," Vaan whispers into Penelo's ear, causing her to shriek and jump around. The boy's been ecstatic when he'd not only been able to locate where his party was holed up and waiting but also sneak inside the old house without any of them noticing.

"Vaan!" Penelo yelled as she continued to beat at him with her fists. It was a much more painful experience than it used to be, now that they'd all honed their skills in real battles. "Vaan, where have you been? We went back and you had already left! Who does that?!"

"Ow, ow, Penelo, please," Vaan laughs, halfheartedly trying to catch the girl's fists and keep them still.

"Don't you 'Penelo, please' me, Vaan!' She retorts, getting in a few more good smacks before gracefully leaping backwards and crossing her arms. "You better start talking."

"Yes, I believe you do owe us an explanation, Vaan. We were all worried about leaving you behind, yet you left without us." Vaan had gotten so used to associating that voice with Gabranth it took him a moment to realize that it was Basch speaking and not his brother. The reminder about the undoubtedly awkward conversations to come make Vaan anxious, but he smiles through it.

"First, can you fill me in on what happened at Bur-Omisace? It might make some of my explanation clearer if I'm up to date," Vaan requests, perching on a table near Balthier and safely out of range of the fuming Penelo and disapproving frowns of the rest of the party.

"Archadia killed the Grand Kilitas. We presume they took Larsa as well, as we were unable to find him after our return." Fran speaks up, summing up the events with a quick precision.

Vaan can't help but ask, "Why'd they kill the old guy?"

"Neutral parties, especially those who can see past the machinations of humes, are an unnecessary threat to the new emperor, Vayne."

He'd known it was coming, but can't hide the wince when he hears the words 'Emperor' and 'Vayne' strung together like that. But it does assure him that he made the right decision, back in Miriam. Now he just had to start convincing the others about it. But he'll start with the easy one, "Archadia doesn't have Larsa," Vaan says with a cocky grin. "I do."

"Lord Larsa is with you?" Basch asks, a look of confusion on his face that Vaan could never imagine crossing Gabranth's.

"He's determined to get back to Archadia without Vayne noticing. He thinks he can get the support of the nobles and senators to help take control away from Vayne. To do that, Larsa left Bur-Omisace before the Archadian's arrived, and headed to the Stillshrine to hide out till they left."

"If that is true, then why not wait for us? We could have headed north together! It was dangerous for two two of you to travel alone like that," Ashe chimes in, exasperatedly gripping and ungripping the hilt of her sword.

"We figured it'd be safer to lie low and found an underground route north. We weren't sure how long it would take you to arrive, so we didn't wait," Vaan tried to explain, but has to admit to himself that given the dangers they faced the decision may have been a bit rash. Though, it did give him a chance to learn to trust Gabranth…

Balthier claps his hands together to get everyone's attention then puts in his own thoughts. "It was dumb, but what other decision can you expect two boys to make?"

Fran nods in agreement. "There is some wisdom in their decision, as we did run into several Imperial scouts along the way. We were barely able to avoid suspicion as it was - and that probably only because they were looking for one particular missing hume child."

"See?" Vaan says, throwing his hands behind his head and leaning back. "Everything worked out fine." An empty potion bottle hits Vaan in the face and he makes a face at Penelo. "Alright, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, geez!"

…...

"Penelo, can you…?" Vaan doesn't bother to finish the question as he sees Penelo already sliding off her own perch and towards the door. "Uh, we'll be right back, then I'll take you guys to Larsa." Vaan says to the others before following Penelo outside.

The two orphans walk slowly through the familiar streets of Lowtown without speaking for several minutes.

"So, what has you so nervous?" Penenlo finally asks, once they're in another abandoned building they know is not likely to have any prying eyes or ears. "It's not about Larsa, is it?"

"No," Vaan is quick to assure her. "Well…. Not really. Kinda related though." Vaan hesitates a moment before continuing. "Larsa wasn't alone, when he arrived at the shrine. He was with one of the Judges"

"Oh no! Is he okay? I assume you were able to defeat him or…" Penelo trails off, staring intently at Vaan's serious face. "You didn't defeat him."

Vaan braces himself for the admission, afraid for how his usually mellow friend will take it, "No, he, uh… he's helping Larsa."

"Oh." Penelo's voice is quiet and the soft word has a hint of question in it. But instead of asking, she just looks at Vaan, patiently waiting for the rest of the story.

"It's Gabranth. Basch's brother."

The room is silent for a long moment as Penelo's eyes widen before falling to look at the dusty ground. Vaan clenches his hands nervously in the pockets of his pants and holds his breath. Less than a minute later and Penelo speaks up, "The brother who killed the king, wounded and labelled Reks a traitor then threw Basch in prison? That brother?"

"Yeah, that's the one."

"Oh."

Silence falls again as Penelo continues to stare intently at the ground. "So… " She finally says, voice sounding confused as the young dancer looks up to regard Vaan. "So… you don't seem upset about that."

"We've worked through a lot of things, the last few weeks," Vaan admits. He's still surprised by the fact that he can't seem to bring himself to hate the Judge - but there hasn't been much time yet for him to think about why that is.

"Oh."

"I don't hate him. Most of the time." Vaan tacks on, quickly growing unnerved by Penelo's monosyllabic responses.

Silence.

"You… forgave him then? For... for Reks?" Penelo's voice is small, and Vaan can tell that she is trying her hardest to understand what her friend was trying to say. Her expression sends a twinge of guilt through the boy - Reks was Vaan's brother, but he was also Penelo's future. She'd loved him for years, and Reks had confided in Vaan that he was going to propose to Penelo as soon as she was old enough and the war was over. Vaan had never told her that, not knowing how to tell her without making her grief worse. She already knew that Reks loved her in return - that was enough.

And here Vaan was, talking of not hating Reks's murderer.

"Penelo, I…" Vaan starts but trails off, not knowing where to start, how much to say right now. "As much as I hate it, I understand why he did it. And he understands why I can't forgive what he did."

Vaan doesn't say anything to break the silence that follows his painful attempts at explanation, letting Penelo process his words. She stares at the ground, lost in thought, humming as she tends to do when puzzling through a particularly difficult problem.

Then suddenly she's in motion, wrapping her arms around Vaan and squeezing, "I trust you, even though you're so stupid most of the time."

"Thanks Penelo."

When she moves away, Penelo turns, failing to hide the tears she wipes away from her face. A few long moments and a couple of hidden sniffles, then Penelo is turning around. "I'll allow it," She says, tilting her head and jutting her chin in the imperious way Ashe tends to do when she is trying to be regal.

Vaan snorts and Penelo giggles. "Basch and Ashe are not going to be happy." She says with a pained grin.

Vaan, used to these bittersweet moments of humor, doesn't call out the sadness still in Penelo's eyes. "Yeah, I'm not sure which of their reactions I'm more afraid of."

"I'm just afraid _for_ you. Once they're done with… with Gabranth, they'll come for you next." Vaan's heart warms when he hears his friend manage to say the name without too much venom. Penelo really is the most forgiving and kind hearted person he knows. If he can move path Gabranth's horrible past actions, then he really should never have doubted that she could as well.

"That's why I'm giving you a heads up. So you can help me not get everyone killed when I take them to Larsa."

"Oh Vaan, how do you always get us wrapped up in these situations?" Penelo pushes Vaan out of the building and starts herding him back towards the West Side of Lowtown where their friends wait.

…...

"It was indeed smart of you to use this old outpost to hide Larsa," Ashe says haughtily. The thief grimaces but holds his tongue instead of protesting the girl's patronizing tone. He needed to curry favor now while he still can, since she's not going to be happy once they see who else is inside the hut.

"Yeah, well, I have some-" Vaan says, scratching at the hair tickling the nape of his neck, not noticing how it draws the attention of his party to the marking now decorating that patch of skin.

"Is that an esper glyph?" Penelo almost shrieks from behind Vaan. Vaan swirls around in the dirt, almost tripping on a Cactoid that was sleeping nearby. Zeromus had quieted down the more Vaan had come to accept Gabranth, to the point that he had almost forgotten the esper was tied to him now.

"Oh, yeah. Called himself Zeromus," Vaan says with a laugh that fails to project the casual air he hoped to project. "He's pretty crazy, just seems to like executing criminals. It can be intense, but I'm getting used to it."

"You defeated it with Larsa?" Balthier asks with a raised brow. "It seems the lad is handier with a sword than I'd observed, to enable you to take down an esper with only him at your side."

Vaan looks at Balthier for a long older man just stares back, giving as little away as he usually does. If the boy were to guess, the sky pirate has already guessed that Vaan didn't come back up north with just Larsa as company. But they've arrived at the hut anyways, so it's time that everyone finds out the truth. "Look, just… don't freak out," Vaan says pointedly at Basch and Ashe before going the rest of the way to the small hut and leading the way inside.

The room is filled with silence as the newcomers filter in after Vaan and notice the additional figure sitting beside Larsa. In the dim lighting of the room, Gabranth looks nothing like the Judge Magister that most of the party had last seen him as - but dressed in leathers, hair growing out, slight stubble on his face, his resemblance to Basch identifies who he is just as surely as his armor would have.

"Noah?" Basch says, voice soft with shock.

Vaan chuckles nervously, subtly shifting his weight and creeping into the center of the room - firmly between his old and new allies. He notices Penelo and Fran both stepping closer to Ashe and Basch, eyes fully on them rather than their Archadian enemy.

When neither Gabranth nor Basch speak and silence falls, Ashe picks up the reigns. "Noah, as in your brother? The one who became Judge Magister Gabranth, and who murdered my father?"

"Larsa, step back," Gabranth mutters, so quietly that only the boy, Vaan - and likely the Viera - hear it. Larsa obliges and steps back to the far end of the room.

Vaan, Larsa and Gabranth had discussed (and argued about) this reunion at length on the Plains. They'd decide to bring everyone at once, so that they'd have hope of voices of reason speaking sense into the more personally attached to the issue. They'd also finally decided that Larsa should not get involved until the initial bursts of emotions calmed down. Family, friends and past wrongs had to come out first, before alliances and new trust could be formed.

Vaan however, made no such promise to stay out of things.

"So, would you care to explain what's going on here, Vaan?" Balthier says calmly and warmly. Vaan guesses he's attempting to keep Ashe from exploding and the boy is grateful.

"Well, it's a long story, but the important part is-."

"You murdered my father! Destroyed my kingdom!" Ashe screams, lunging past Vaan and pulling her sword up to strike. Vaan jumps into action. He winces at the sharp sting of metal cutting into his flesh, but doesn't let it interrupt his spell casting. A second after, a strong Immobilize spell lands over the princess.

"Ow," Vaan says softly.

Before the others can process that Vaan is partially skewered, Gabranth is reaching forward and carefully easing the boy away from the edge of Ashe's sword. Ignoring the renewed ranting of Ashe and the panicked exclamations of the others who finally realize Vaan's injury, Gabranth all but shoves a hi-potion down Vaan's throat then moves the boy untils he's sitting next to Larsa, with Gabranth between them and the rest of the room.

Meeting Vaan's eyes briefly, the boy gives him a weak smile before Gabranth finally turns and focuses on the others in the room. By now, tense silence has fallen again. When Gabranth finally speaks, it echoes in the uneasy quiet of the hut. "It has been a while, Basch, Princess."

"How dare you address me? You, the murderer of my father and destroyer of my kingdom!" Ashe cries, jaw clenched as hard as her hand still grips her sword. Fran gently but firmly pulls the weapon out of the princess's immobilized grasp while the young woman glares at judge.

Balthier once again speaks up. "Now now, princess, you're getting a bit repetitive. Perhaps if you-"

"Quiet!" Ashe all but screams, the volume shocking all words from the others in the room long enough for her to continue. "Vaan, I knew you were rash and foolish and… and… idiotic, but how dare you being before me the man who murdered everything I hold dear! When I am done with this utter scum I-"

Ashe's mouth keeps moving, but no sound comes out of it. From beside the princess, Balthier lowers his hand and finishes the casting of the Silence spell. "With all due respect, princess, it is for the best if you stop ranting like a banshee before before you say something to our friend Vaan that you will regret." The woman's face was red and her eyes were throwing knives at the pirate, but no one else in the small room spoke up to counter Balthier's actions. "Now, Vaan, Larsa… Judge… you have about five minutes before the spell wears off to explain yourselves. I suggest you speak fast."

Gabranth doesn't glance back towards the boys behind him, still far to aware of the tension in the small room to dare taking his eyes off of his brother and the woman who had already proven a threat to his newest ally. But he takes the grace period the oddly familiar man has given him to try and explain the current situation with as succinct and emotionless an explanation as possible.

"Lord Vayne has taken it upon himself to take control of the empire. He murdered both his father and the senators who were known to speak out against him. Despite his claim to the throne, his lust for power will make him a disastrous ruler. To solidify his claim beyond all doubt, he has ordered that his sole surviving relative - Lord Larsa - be brought safely back to Archadia and into his… custody. At this point, it is unlikely he'd risk killing Lord Larsa, but that would not stop him from spiriting the prince away into a most secure of prisons."

"That matches what we learned at Mount Bur-Omisace. Though we had assumed that Larsa was already in Imperial hands." Balthier says, nodding and rubbing at his bottom lip. He looked at his partner, and noting her creased brows.

"Indeed," she states, glancing towards Vaan before settling her gaze once more on the Archadian man.

Gabranth continues. "My loyalty is with Archadia's well being, and my judgement is that Lord Larsa is the only hope to salvage the situation from escalating into great conflict. As such, I came to find Lord Larsa as soon as I heard Lord Vayne's plans. I escorted the prince south to seek temporary refuge in the Stillshrine, knowing pursuit would assume the boy head straight north from Bur-Omisace."

"That's where I ran into them," Vaan speaks up from behind the Judge. "The rest of the story is pretty much what I told you guys earlier, bit with the addition of well… Gabranth. I didn't really trust him, but I did trust Larsa, so I decided to help. I sure as hell wouldn't want any friend of mine to be taken by Vayne, especially not Larsa. We went inside to hide from any aerial patrols, and ended up finding a hidden route through some caverns. We closed it behind us to erase the path and well… it took us a bit, but we ended up here!"

Gabranth bites down the inappropriate urge to chuckle as he sees eyebrows raise on most of the party members as Vaan finishes his story. He instead looks over at his brother, allowing his gaze to linger on the familiar yes foreign face for longer than he has in years. As he takes in the scarred brow and confused eyes, he once more longs for his absent helm - he's far too used to having a way to hide his own face away in secure obscurity.

"Noah…" His brother starts, as their gazes meet. But Basch's words trail away and once again Balthier fills the silence.

"Well then, what exactly is it you hope to accomplish with this meeting?"

"Uh…" Vaan says behind the Judge. So Gabranth takes over the thread of the tale once more.

"We seek to get Lord Larsa back to Archadia without word reaching Vayne. We believe the young prince will be able to get enough sympathy in the political realm there to destabilize Vayne's control over the Empire."

"And since the road is full of dangers, help would be appreciated," Balthier finishes with a grin. "And rewarded, I presume?"

"Balthier!" Vaan and Penelo boath groan at the pirate in unison.

Gabranth stares at the man for a long moment. The familiarity really is unsettling the judge and he racks his memory to try and determine where he has seen this pirate before. Then, suddenly, it clicks in the man's mind and he frowns. "I see," he murmurs.

Balthier looks vaguely unsettled by the statement, but the rest of the people in the room merely assume he is talking about payment. But before anything more is said, the familiar and agitated voice of Princess Ashe rings out in the room once more, both the Silence and Immobilize spells having worn off. "You honestly expect us to believe such a tale?"

"Well, yeah." Vaan's response is matter-of-fact in a way only the street thief could ever pull off, and Ashe is taken aback by how instantaneous his affirmation is. That above all else she has heard, finally gets her to stop and think.

"I must think on this," She finally says, refusing to meet the eyes of anyone else in the room.

"As do I."

Basch's voice is rough and tenuous as he speaks out. Gabranth can hear the layers of many unspoken questions in his words, and the man is smart enough to know that the two of them still have a great reckoning on the horizon.

"Then let us reconvene tomorrow," Fran says firmly.

….

After the tense first meeting draws to a close, most of the participants go their separate ways. Ashe and Basch are the first to leave - the princess all but storming out of the hut. Before following after her, Basch speaks to the waiting room, "We'll let you know when we have decided."

Gabranth is silent as the pair leaves. As soon as they have left, he looks over to Vaan and Larsa. "I will return," He says softly before leaving himself.

Larsa is obviously disheartened by the lack of an instant alliance, but Vaan is more surprised that Gabranth has just willingly left Larsa in the protection of others. The thief assumes this means the man is more distressed by the meeting than he let on. Vaan is exhausted himself from the conversation and looks over to Penelo, begging with his eyes for her to take charge. She sends him a strained smile before grabbing onto Larsa's arm.

"So, Larsa, you've never been to Dalmasca, right? It's probably not safe to take you into the city, but there's some places in the Estersand you'd love. Come on, I'll show you."

Vaan himself is the next to leave, but instead of wandering off into the wilderness or city, he simply slips around back. Sitting quietly in the shade of the hut, he ignores the lingering sting in his side and as well as his disappointment at how poorly the meeting had gone. He figures he should have known better - Ashe and Basch had even more reason to hate Gabranth than Vaan does. But they also keep preaching about how the restoration of Dalmasca is most important, so he had naively hoped they'd be able to see through their hate easier than Vaan had.

"Your wounds, need they further tending?" Fran's voice is soft and concerned as she sits down next to Vaan. Until Fran spoke up, Vaan had assumed she and Balthier had left the outpost to cool down as well. But instead he finds them both standing nearby.

"I've had worse," Vaan admits. "It just stings." He's not sure if he's talking about the physical pain or the emotional pain that came from seeing Ashe look totally unapologetic, even as her sword had been inside of Vaan's flesh. A soft tingle of a Cura washes over Vaan as Balthier casts a healing anyways while Fran sits next to him and looks closely at the wound.

"Once more. The pain lingers yet," She says to her partner, who wastes no time charging and casting once more.

"The fury of a woman is a terrifying thing, Vaan," Balthier speaks once he is done with the healing. He smirks at the look Vaan throws him, though the boy notices the serious glint in the pirate's eyes. "A lesson you'd best learn soon, lest you end up in worse shape next time you befriend an enemy."

"Who says we're friends?" Vaan asks. While he can admit to himself that he and Gabranth have become close, he's not sure it's a closeness he'd call friendship. At least, his bond with the man - with its strong sense of comfort and understanding forged through countless arguments and battles fought side by side - was unlike anything he had with Penelo or the other orphans.

Fran pats his leg. The boy looks up at the Viera, surprised by the uncharacteristic show of physical affection. There is a pleased smile on her face that Vaan is at a loss to explain. "Uh…" He stutters, looking to Balthier for an explanation of Fran's emotional state.

"I admit, I did not expect you to jump in to protect Gabranth. I remember how violently you reacted upon first seeing Basch," Balthier says. The man leans on a boulder across from where Vaan and Fran sit, the sun glinting off his hair and adding an additional glow to the man's eyes. "You almost got us all killed, if I recall correctly."

"Yeah, well, we had a few weeks to work through some things. Honestly I yelled at him a lot more than Ashe did."

"You are maturing, to be able to look beyond past wrongs," Fran says, still with the smile on her face. "Your defense of the Judge and urging of an alliance was a moment I was proud to see." By the time she finishes speaking, her small smile has grown even more. Vaan can't help blushing and feeling terrified at the very overt show of emotion on the stoic Viera's face.

"Yes, a Dalmascan orphan willing to protect an Archadian judge. Who would have thought such a thing would ever happen." The sky pirate gets up and wanders off as he says the words, looking to the sky and clucking his tongue at the sight of dark clouds rolling in from the west. "I'm going to check on the Strahl. You coming, Fran? Vaan?"

Vaan shakes his head, not ready yet to go back to the city and risk running into the princess and her knight. Fran pats his leg once more before getting up and following Balthier back towards the city.

….

"Lord Larsa, is he inside?" The judge's voice sounds as calm as ever, but Vaan thinks he can pick out a twinge of worry underneath the words.

"Penelo's off showing him the sights," The man tenses and Vaan hurries to try and calm the man down. "Hey, Penelo and I may not know much outside of Dalmasca, but we grew up running around he Estersand. The monsters here are familiar and we've got a lot of practice running around without being noticed by Archadian eyes."

Gabranth doesn't relax his tensed muscles, but he does some to sit on a crate next to where Vaan is still perched. "It was less pleasant than I expected, seeing my brother again."

It's not the content of the admission that startled Vaan, but more the fact that Gabranth is speaking of it at all. But he cannot help the jolt of pleasure that shoots through the exhausted boy at hearing the judge opening up to him. But along with the pleasure comes an undeniable wave of jealousy thinking of other brotherly reunions that cannot ever happen. "After everything you and Basch have been though, it's crazy you two managed to be in the same place again ever."

"Yes, it is," Gabranth breaths quietly, turning to look at Vaan. "It was insensitive of me to-"

"Don't," Vaan cuts the man off, knowing where the conversation is headed and not wanting to dig at his old wounds when he'd still sore from the more recent ones. But now that the memory of Reks was summoned forth, Vaan can't seem to push it away again. "Damnit," he sniffs, leaning his face into his wrist and wiping at the sudden burning in his eyes.

Neither say anything, both lost again in thoughts of their own ghosts. Vaan sniffs again then leans over, resting against the side of the Archadian man. He blearily stares up at the quickly darkening sky. "We should head inside, the storm's almost here," Vaan whispers.

"Lord Larsa and your Penelo have not yet returned," Gabranth counters, anxiety about his missing charge clear.

"They'll have holed up in one of the other old outposts. Unlike me, Penelo is pretty reliable."

Despite Vaan's assurances, Gabranth still looks ready to go out searching for the missing prince. Then a gust of wind spews a puff of dirt into both of their faces, causing Vaan to spit out the grit and Gabranth to blink and duck his head. "Yes, let us move inside," the man grumbles, all but hauling Vaan up and around to the entrance of the old hut.

The wind slams the half-rotted door closed behind the pair. Vaan jumps at the noise then laughs at his reaction. Ignoring the boy, Gabranth moves to lie on the edge of the room. After calming down from his totally-not-hysterical laughing fit, Vann double checks that the door is as securely fastened as it can be then turns back face the room.

"Despite everything, I have missed my brother," Gabranth admits from where he lies.

Vaan stares through the shadows, trying to make out the features of the man's face. It hurt, his words, but that was an admission that Vaan could completely understand. "I miss my brother, too." The words hold no condemnation or anger - just the honest admission of a young man.

Vaan lies down next to Gabranth - not quite touching, but closer than they tended to lie while on the road. The tensions of the day had Zeromus whispering with agitation in his mind, giving him a headache in addition to everything else. Focusing instead on the steady breathing of the man beside him, after a long while, Vaan is able to simply empty his mind and relax.

…..


	5. Chapter 5: Preparations

_Disclaimer_ : The world of Ivalice and the characters that appear within it are property of Square Enix. This is a work of fan fiction.

 _Notes_ : It's been a while! Life is full of wonderful things like chronic writer's block. I'm out of practice, so this chapter may be rough, but I wanted to snap myself out of my months long hiatus before I let myself get lazy again. Thanks for reading!

 **Chapter 5: Preparations**

Vaan and Gabranth wake as the dawn light moves to shine through the small windows of the hut. The boy sighs into the side of the man he'd curled up against in his sleep before moving to get up. Once sitting, he looks down into the cracked eyes of the judge. "Am I crazy, or should this feel weird?" Vaan can't help but wonder as he bites back a yawn.

"Surely after your years running around the desert, the sun has baked all sanity from your head," Gabranth mutters in reply, tiredly moving to sit up as well.

"Probably," Vaan smiles, before moving out the door to empty his all-too-full bladder.

By the time he's finished relieving himself, he can make out the familiar pigtails of Penelo bouncing over a ridge nearby. He shades his eyes with a gauntlet-free hand and smiles as Penelo and Larsa all but skip towards the outpost. For once, Larsa looks as carefree as the kid he is. "Gabranth, come see this!" He calls through the window.

The man emerges shortly after. Together they watch Penelo and Larsa laugh and get closer and closer. Finally, Vaan loses patience and sprints over to meet them. "If you two take any longer to get here, I'll be as old as Gabranth by the time you arrive!" He misses the slight twitch on the man in question's face at the dig at his age as he waves at the others.

"Don't be rude, Vaan," Gabranth hears Lord Larsa chide, as come together. The Judge ducks his head to hide the fond expression he is sure flashes across his face at his leige's voice. He can't help but once again curse how reliant he had been on wearing his masked helmet at all times to hide such soft expressions.

But as the man looks up to the three youths talking animatedly ahead, Gabranth wonders if perhaps he won't need to hide so much anymore.

…..

Balthier and Fran are the next to return to the hut. Vaan greets both pirates enthusiastically, especially after he smells the mouthwatering scent of something warm and delicious in a burlap sack Fran tosses in his direction.

"Fran! You're the best!" Vaan yells back at the Viera with a large smile as he stuffs one of the wolf-meat buns into his mouth.

"Vaan, don't be a pig! You should share with the guests first!" Penelo scolds with a smack to the back of his head. She then yanks the bag out of the teen's hands and tosses it to Larsa.

"They're not guests though," Vaan mumbles, crumbs falling from his mouth.

"They're not Dalmascan, so it counts."

Vaan takes a moment to swallow before responding. "In that case, Balthier and Fran are guests too," he points out.

"But they brought the food, so they forfeit their guest status," Penelo snaps back after a short pause. Vaan takes another bite of his bun, staring Penelo in the eyes and trying to pull of a serious stare. There is a long moment of silence as Vaan chews and swallows, then both teens burst into laughter.

Larsa gives the pair a smile then turns and offers the bag to Gabranth. The Judge takes the bag with a soft thank you, barely glancing away from the laughing teens.

"It's nice to see them so light," Larsa says before biting into his own bun. Gabranth doesn't respond, but does turn his eyes away as he begins to eat.

…...

It's almost noon before Ashe and Basch return. Basch nods at the group and walks inside without a word to Vaan. Balthier and Fran quickly relocate inside as well, so as not to leave the brothers alone together.

"Vaan, stop." Princess Ashelia's voice is firm as she calls out to Vaan before the thief can also slip into the hut where the others are waiting. For a moment, Vaan feels the metal of her sword bite into his side once again as he turns to look into the princess's stern face. His hand slides up to where he had been wounded the day before, half expecting to feel blood again.

The young woman's eyes track the movement, and her brow wrinkles. She lets out a low sigh, and gives Vaan a polite smile. "I must apologize for hurting you yesterday. It was not my intention for you to come to harm."

"I jumped in the way of the sword, so yeah, it was pretty obvious that you weren't aiming for me," The boy scratches the back of his head in an attempt to look more relaxed than he feels.

"Good, then we are of an accord."

As soon as the words are said, Ashe brushes past Vaan and heads to rejoin the others, leaving the boy standing in slight shock. If he were to be honest, he'd have to admit that the physical wound from the sword hurt less than the fury and _Silenced_ insults she'd directed at Vaan intentionally afterwards. Yet she had said nothing about that - she had admitted no real wrongdoing at all.

Despite the heat of the desert, Vaan can't help but shiver in discomfort as he stands alone under the hot daylight.

…..

The princess speaks as soon as she steps inside the room, drawing the quiet murmurs from the small clusters of people to a close. "I will accept the need to deliver Lord Larsa to Archadia. But there are conditions to our help."

Larsa has already placed himself in the central position on the other side of the room. He is the diplomat and politician here, young as he is, and negotiations are one thing he has been trained in for almost as long as the lady Ashe. "I appreciate your assistance. What are the conditions, Lady Ashelia?"

"We aim to destroy the Dusk Shard. It's power is too great and too dangerous to exist. Especially since it resides in Archades under the power of Vayne."

Larsa's brow turns into a frown as he considers the response. Indeed, he had remembered hearing about the shard's capture. On his journey south, Vaan and Penelo had told the boy all about the netichite's power and theft. "If you are correct, then undoubtedly the shard must be destroyed," Larsa nods solemnly. "Indeed, our goals align quite nicely, as both are important to stabilize the region and avoid more violent war."

"Indeed," Ashe says. Larsa can see the shadow of a smile on her face. He's fairly sure that if Gabranth was not in the picture, she would not have bothered to hide it.

"You said conditions," Larsa continues. "Our assistance in obtaining and destroying the shard is given. Was there another?"

Immediately Ashe's face darkens and her gaze darts over Larsa's shoulder to rest on Gabranth. "You will keep your dog under control. He is not to be left alone at any point. Nor is he to speak with anyone in Archades without one of us present."

It is harsh, and Larsa relies on years around the biting tongue of his brother to refrain from wincing at the demand. It chafes him, to know his most trusted guard and ally is being spoken about so fearlessly. As he thinks over what to say, another voice speaks up.

"Don't ask for promises that cannot be kept, princess," Balthier's arms are crossed and his face is as neutral as Larsa has ever seen it. "Once we reach Archades, we may very well need to rely on the connections and insight of our Archadian allies to meet our objectives. You are trying to cripple what could be our best method of getting around undetected."

Turning to glare at the pirate, Ashe opens her mouth to speak. Seeing the chance to cement a bargain, Larsa begins talking before she can. "That is a fear of mine as well, Balthier. Indeed, Gabranth will be necessary for me to make contact with the Sentors and nobles who might help me. But I also acknowledge your concerns, Lady Ashelia."

Larsa takes a moment to glance behind him at Gabranth, getting a slight nod from him before turning around again. "I propose that Gabranth follow those conditions until we reach Archades. Then, once there we can reassess the situation. As we journey, Gabranth may be able to train Vaan or Penelo well enough to be able to pass as an assistant and accompany him if there are still concerns."

"Why them?" Basch asks quickly.

"They are the only humes in the groups who hold no claim to international fame, at the moment. Their faces and names are not known," Larsa answers. He knows the Dalmascan teens are the only ones who could potentially move around below the notice of locals in Archades, should they be disguised slightly. Their hair would need to be darkened for one, and Vaan would have to ditch that silly vest.

Larsa gives himself a mental shake, forcing himself to refocus on the group and not begin planning for something that won't be an issue for another few weeks. Looking at the princess, he sees a reluctant acceptance forming on her features. She is not happy, but he thinks this will do.

"Very well," Ashe responds, frowning and refusing to look at Gabranth any more. "We will discuss further in Archades. But the rules he must follow until then, or we have no accord."

"I will follow your demands on our journey, Lady Ashelia."

Gabranth's voice is low and solemn, and immediately puts tension back into Ashe and Basch's forms. But Ashe nods and the topic is closed.

"With that settled, let us discuss what must be done before we depart," Fran speaks into the silence. "Penelo, please go and find Vaan and then we can discuss."

"You got it, Fran!" Penelo cries as she jumps of the crate she was perched upon and rushes out the doors. Larsa is startled to realize that he hadn't realized Vaan's absence in the room until now.

…

"Vaan?" Penelo's voice is soft, and followed by a warm had coming to rest on the back of Vaan's arm. "You okay?"

Vaan snaps out of his thoughts, startled to see his friend before him. "Yeah, sorry. Is it time to start?"

Penelo gives Vaan a small smile, the kind that conveys both comfort and worry. "We've already agreed to work together. All of us will travel to Archades and then get Larsa on the throne and destroy the Dusk Shard."

"Oh, I'd forgotten about the nethicite," Vaan said. "But that definitely is not something I want Vayne to have."

"I know, right?" Penelo agrees. "Beyond that, Ashe and Basch don't want Gabranth going off on his own, at least until we get to Archades and then he may need to. Or he'll teach us to act Archadian and follow or something."

Vaan doesn't respond for a long moment. His thoughts have wandered away from the comforting presence of his friend and back to the sharp non-apology of Ashe.

"Vaan?" Penelo says his name again, giving his arm a squeeze. "Are you sure you're okay?"

The worry in her voice has ramped up, so Vaan is quick this time to give Penelo a smile. "I'm great. Let's go inside."

….

It is an interesting experience for Vaan, navigating the streets of Rabanastre as someone with money to spend and purpose in mind. He's sure he looks a nervous wreck, holding more money than he'd seen at once in years, as he readies the supplies for the next stretch of their journey.

When the party had headed south, what felt like ages ago now, Balthier and Fran had handled the purchases. But now… well… Vaan and Balthier had agreed it would be best if they stayed with the others. Ashe was still pissed at Vaan, and a more 'neutral' party in the conflict should stay around to make sure everyone else stays alive. So here Vaan is, carrying more money than he's comfortable with to repair armor, gather rations, and find a Moogle that has the right map.

Vaan leaves the Bazaar, pockets bulging with field rations and quickly ducked into the quieter side streets. The thief knows all too well how easy it is to lift a bulging purse on those crowded streets. And it's nice, being on the quieter streets again. For a moment, he could almost pretend it was before the war that took his brother, before the plague that took his parents, before everything became hard and dangerous.

A heavy form rams into Vaan's side, and the illusion shatters. His eyes snap open and he looks into the helmet-covered face of an Archadian guard, sneering down at him.

"Watch it, brat," the burly guard snarls, fist snapping out and backhanding the teen before Vaan realizes what's happening. As the force of the blow causes Vaan's head to snap back into the wall, he fights down his instinctual urge to separate the man's head from his shoulders. Knowing that Vaan could easily show the thug bearing down on him some humility doesn't change the fact that the thief can't do anything of the sort. No, fighting back would only make the guards go up in arms against all the poor street rats in town - and most of them can't fight back.

Vaan sags against the side of the wall, panting and trying to keep a hold of his temper. He can feel the temper of Zeromus nudging at his own, and he clenches his teeth. "Sorry, sir."

"As you should be, desert rat," The guard shoves Vaan hard against the rough stone wall, and this time the teen doesn't keep his feet. He collapses to his knees, catching his weight with one hand and wincing as he notices his coin purse slip out from its hiding place and land on the ground beside his palm.

Looking up through bleary eyes, Vaan sees the guard smile. "And what have we here?"

…

After the guard finally bores of tormenting Vaan, he leaves with one last shove and a confiscated bag of money the guard insists must be stolen. The blond thief rubs his tongue over his split lip as he watches the burly asshole stalk out into the more crowded main streets. A wave of anger and humiliation rushes over Vaan as he kneels on the ground.

 _Punish… punish him..._

The urge to run after the guard grows and grows in the back of Vaan's mind. It is all too easy to envision the ways he could even the score against that guard. But as pissed as he is, he still knows that any action against the guards here would echo back on the unprotected Dalmascan populace ten times over.

 _Punish him…. Punish him…._

With a snarl the teen slams his fist into the ground, "Shut up, Zeromus!"

The words in the back of his mind silence in an instant. Vaan slumps down in relief, just breathing in the dusty air of the city for a long moment.

"You are a lot of trouble," He whispers to the esper held within his mind. "You'll never get to pass out any justice if you get me riled up and killed, you know." A soft thrum of acknowledgement echos through Vaan's head. The sensation is unsettling and Vaan decided he's had more than enough of dealing with ancient beings for one day. So he refocuses outward, pulling himself to a standing position with a wince. The way the world tilts more than a little with the change in elevation warns Vaan that his head is probably in need of a pretty hefty healing spell.

He takes a step forwards, gasping as the motion causes another wave of dizziness and nausea to spread. Instinctively, he reaches for where he always keeps his Potions. But instead of the cool glass bottles, Vaan's hand finds the bags of dried meat and seeds he'd purchased earlier. The thief groans, remembering now that he'd emptied his pockets to make room to hold what Fran had sent him to buy.

"Great," Vaan moans, suddenly at a loss of what he can do besides slump back against the wall and wait for the dizziness to pass enough to find some healing potions. Or better yet, find Balthier - the pirate hands down had the best healing spells he'd ever felt. As he settles in for a long wait, the thief glimpses a familiar figure passing by in the busier streets beyond him.

"Jenna!" Vaan calls out, hoping it doesn't just sound like a groan. The girl jumps and glances over, doing a double take when she sees Vaan leaning on the wall and bleeding from several cuts on his head.

"Vaan?!" She rushes over, and thrusts a half-bottle of an old potion into his hand as she stands on her tiptoes to try and see the wounds better. "You're back! And injured!"

Vaan drinks the potion quickly - it's not strong enough to to anything about the head wounds, but it at least eases the other aches and pains from being tossed around. "Yeah, just for a bit though. Was picking up supplies when I ran into one of the guards."

"Pigs, all of them," Jenna scowls, taking back the empty bottle and stashing it away. She maneuvers herself as gently as a twelve year old can underneath one of Vaan's arms and helps him stand fully. "Should I take you to Lowtown? Or Migelo's shop?"

"No, I don't want to risk drawing any attention there. Penelo has some potions she can heal me up with if you can just help me get to East Gate."

They start walking, slowly with Jenna taking more of Vaan's weight than he'd like to admit. "I saw Penelo yesterday. She helped me figure out how to do that double-twist flip she does when she dances. I'm not great at it yet, but probably if I keep practicing Penelo said I should get it great soon! Oh and did you hear? Last week Keyla and …"

Jenna keeps talking as them move, but Vaan has trouble focusing too long on her words. So he makes humming noises of acknowledgement as he stumbled along and tries not to throw up on the preteen. It feels like ages before Jenna is helping Vaan slip quietly out East Gate, two street rats utterly below the notice of any of the guards. The girl agrees to leave very reluctantly and only after she'd helped Vaan touch the Crystal gleaming nearby, the magic rock managing to heal him enough for the boy to walk on his own two feet once more.

"Tell the others I said hi, okay?" Vaan asks, smiling as he waves to Jenna. The girl nods and rushes back into the city, no doubt off to go find all the others Vaan used to help take care of and let them know the thief was still alive and kicking.

Once she's gone, Vaan touches the Crystal one more time, sighing as it doesn't do any more to heal him then it already had the first time. Then he sets off into the Eastersand to meet back up with the others and explain why he didn't manage to finish his errands.

…

The tension in the old depot the group, sans Vaan, had relocated to is overwhelming.

Balthier looks at Fran, who raises an eyebrow in response, then turns to grimly evaluate the rest of the party.

Penelo and Larsa are hunched together in one corner of the room, alternating between peering outside a ruined old window into the desert and glancing back towards the princess and her bodyguard. Not too far from them, the Archadian Judge is doing a solid job at pretending nothing is amiss. He appears to be organizing the gear gathered by the party so far, taking notes on a spare piece of paper and avoiding any sort of eye contact with anyone. But the Judge's shoulders are tense and he barely seems to be breathing as he works. Balthier can tell that the man is ready to spring into very violent action if needled.

On the other end of the room, the princess and her noble knight stare unerringly at the Archadian. The young woman is pale and her face is more stoic than the pirate has ever seen her. Even when staring in the face of Vossler, newly revealed as a traitor, she had shown more life. And Basch… Balthier can't suppress a grimace as he takes in the expression on the man's face. It's a hefty size mix of longing and confusion and anger and grief, if Balthier were to guess. Family drama is just what this group needed.

The pirate sighs and feels Fran's hand brush over his shoulder in a short moment of solidarity. The tension is making him feel on edge. And he can admit to himself that he is not fully comfortable with the Judge's presence either. It reminds his too strongly of his own long buried issues. He would like nothing more than to leave the depot and not deal with it, but he is aware that of all the people in this room, it is him and Fran who have the least personal grudges to spark. So he stays. Reluctantly.

Balthier sighs again.

Before he can repeat it a third time, Penelo jumps up, pulling Larsa up behind her. "Ashe! Basch!" She calls, heading to the depot's crooked exit door. "Come on, you guys know the desert well enough. You can help me gather the ingredients for potions."

Ashe stands and strides over to the girl, barely slowing as she brushes past the teen and out the door. Penelo then stares at Basch until the man stands and joins them. Then the four of them are gone and only Balthier, Fran and Gabranth are left. It's much more comfortable. But Balthier half wishes he hadn't been the one stuck babysitting the murderous Archadian.

He glances over at the Judge. Sure enough, the man is still tensely organizing.

Balthier lets out one more sigh.

…

The door cracks open slightly, followed by a thump and a muffled curse. Then the door swings open the rest of the way, cracking loudly against the wall and bouncing back towards a staggering and bloody Vaan.

"Uh, s'rry abou- tha-" Vaan slurs as he slumps towards the ground. Gabranth is across the room and next to the teen in an instant, manhandling the boy towards a place to sit as gently as his soldier hands allow him. He curses every groan the half-conscious boy emits on the short journey across the room. As soon as they are seated Gabranth reaches for a potion, only to realize he'd left them with the stores he'd been organizing on the other side of the room. Instead of moving he glares at the pirates who are standing still in shock staring at the boy.

"Healing spells, now."

Gabranth's words snap the others out of their shock and Balthier is on his knees near them charging up his most powerful Cure spell. Vaan lets out a tense sigh of relief as the spell sinks into the teen, though his face is still wrinkled in pain. An Esuna and and another Cure spell quickly sink into the boy over the next minute.

"How does that feel?" Balthier asks.

The boy responds by hunching over, thumping his head onto the Judge's shoulder with a groan. "Gabranth… bastard…" Vaan whimpers, pressing his face into the warmth below it. "Hate stupid Archadian stupid bfhee-" The rest of Vaan's words are muffled by the man's body. Moments later the Judge feels a wet warmth soak into his shirt. Tears. Or blood. Or both. Given the state of Vaan's face when he staggered in and the small sniffle he heard coming from the thief moments ago, Gabranth is fairly certain it is both.

"Cast again," the Judge demands, not bothering to look up at the so-called pirate as he speaks. The man nods and charges up another spell. He then forces himself to hold still as the clawed fingers of the Viera near his eyes before tangling in Vaan's sweaty hair. So far, of all these new and reluctant allies, Fran is by far his favorite due to the care she has shown Larsa and the thief. But he is very aware of how deadly Viera can be. He's seen nails like hers coated in the blood of his men.

"Shhhhh," the Viera whispers, leaning closer to the boy. Her nearness warms Gabranth's side and he twitches at the contact. He truly does miss his armor and the distance it keeps from potential threats. "Vaan, just rest."

Another Cura leaves the pirate's fingers and rushes into the boy. Vaan sighs and relaxes further into Gabranth - tensions easing as the boy slips into unconsciousness. They sit there, teen nestled in Gabranth's arms as the Viera crouches by the pair and strokes blond locks.

After a final Cura, Fran hums in satisfaction and Balthier doesn't cast again. Gabranth's eyes adjust to the dimmer light as the healing glow fades, the momentary feel of darkness reminds him of the weeks underground taking care of this boy and Larsa. Though it was expected that they would be injured then. Here, in the city, in Vaan's city…

"Is the city not safe?" Gabranth wonders aloud, not really expecting an answer.

But the pirate scoffs and gives one anyways, "You're forced to hide away in abandoned buildings and feel the need to ask?"

"Vaan is not me. He is a local, he is from here. You deliberately misunderstood my question," There is an obvious, threatening growl of an undertone to Gabranth's words. All the tension from the day, the adrenaline surge from seeing his impetuous thief brought low, all causing him to want to lash out at the nearest target. And he's sure the man before him can take it.

But before the two men can snipe at each other further, claw-like fingernails dig into a shoulder of both men. "Quiet," Fran demands softly. "If you want to fight, do it away from Vaan. He needs his rest."

Arms tighten reflexively around the boy as Gabranth looks down at the unconscious, tanned face. Standing he moves the boy to lie in a corner, quickly setting a roll of clothes up to act as a pillow for Vaan before rejoining Balthier and Fran. He pretends not to notice the two staring at him the entire time and moves with the deliberation and surety his work as Judge has taught him.

"I do not think Vaan should be sent to get supplies again. It is clear something went wrong," Fran says. "I will go. Even in times like this, few would dare to harass a Viera."

Gabranth sees the minuscule smirk on the woman's face as she turns to leave. It is the first speck of humor he has seen on the warrior, and he is glad to have noted it. It is always good to see something less than stoic perfection on one's enemies. Or one's allies. For they are allies now.

"We'll be out of funds with that. If you're so eager for a fight, why don't you go take down some beasts and get something we can sell?" The pirate suggests from where he's sprawled on the floor, picking under a nail.

Gabranth considers the offer, and acknowledges it as a good one. Without another word, he nods and exits the room, picking up his swords as he goes.

…..


	6. Chapter 6: Journey Resumed

_Disclaimer_ : The world of Ivalice and the characters that appear within it are property of Square Enix. This is a work of fan fiction.

 _Notes_ : Writer's block and pure laziness has been plaguing me, but I finally found the oomph needed to write another chapter. Hopefully it will help spur me to finish some of my other projects too. ^.^

Thanks again to any and all who read, review, and favorite! Hope y'all enjoy. (Also, this is 150% unbeta-ed, all mistakes are from my own carelessness)

 **Chapter 6: Journey Resumed**

"Gabranth, hey," Vaan's voice sounds behind the man, diverting his attention from the downed wolf he had been dissecting for goods to sell. The boy has certainly improved over the journey, to be able to sneak up on the Judge so completely. A feeling close to pride seems into the man's stomach.

"You have obtained enough healing and rest?" He asks, noting the whole yet wan appearance of the boy as he kneels down to help with the wolf.

"Yeah. The main issue was getting knocked in the head a few too many times, and Balthier's Cure spells are perfect for that."

Gabranth gives a grunt of acknowledgement, not bothering to try put words the unease he feels at Vaan's dismissal of what happened to him. Though now, with the boy awake and coherent beside him, perhaps Gabranth can get the answers he's been waiting for. The question of what exactly put Vaan in that state had been hounding the man even as he slaughtered wolf after wolf.

"What happened?"

Vaan's hands still where they'd started to sort through the parts on the ground. Gabranth waits though - through the last few weeks of getting to know each other, both have stopped bothering to dodge answering uncomfortable questions. The perks of getting so accustomed to arguing, Gabranth assumed.

Finally, the tanned boy gives a loud sigh and lets gravity pull him backwards until he's sitting in the dust. Tired eyes look towards the Judge and a small, bitter smile crosses the teen's face. "Dalmasca's an occupied city," he says, quietly. "Homeless war orphans like me are easy pickings for guards or Archadian officials. We can't afford to fight back, so we try to avoid the worst of the lot when we can. Today, I was just unlucky."

The man is unsurprised by the answer - honestly if he had ever spared a second to consider the situation for the native Dalmascans he'd never have even needed to ask. When it comes to war and politics, it is the people least involved that suffer the most. But now that he has a face - Vaan's face - to put over the suffering, well, the man is not pleased. "I'm sorry," Gabranth says, staring at the boy and waiting for a response.

He doesn't have to wait long. The bright and irritated gaze of the desert thief bores into Gabranths apologetic one.

"This is a situation you helped make, Gabranth. You don't regret what you did to my brother so you don't get to regret this either."

The older man feels a frustration build at the teen's dismissal of his apology. In this one, very particular case he does in fact regret his actions. But he also knows that Vaan won't hear it. He won't let his brother's demise be belittled or pushed aside as less important than anything else in the thief's life. Not knowing what to say, Gabranth drops his gaze to the dirt beneath him and scowls.

"I meant what I said before, about wanting to move forwards, not backwards. I don't… I don't really want to talk to you about regrets or anything. But, if you really don't like this, then help us change it once we get Larsa home."

Vaan's voice is quiet, all hint of his earlier temper gone. The words and tone soothw Gabranth's own frustrations and the man finds a small smile gracing his lips. Finally, he lifts his head once more, looking at the boy. "Sounds like an apt plan, Vaan."

…

The party meets early the next morning, just as the pinks and reds of true dawn break over the desert cliffs.

If Vaan was to be totally honest with himself, he'd admit that he's definitely still feeling the after affects of the beating he walked into yesterday. While all visible marks were healed by Balthier, the memory of the aches and pains hasn't quite left the teen yet. It's left him tired and grumpy and not at all excited at the prospect of playing buffer/punching bag between the Archadian and Dalmascan members of the party.

"I'll scout ahead," the thief volunteers before anyone else can. Without waiting for acknowledgement, he jogs ahead and starts scoping out the area. He isn't as familiar with this part of the Dalmascan desert - and by midday they'll likely have left familiar ground altogether - so Vaan keeps his eyes sharp and his blade loose in its sheath.

Slowly the party begins their trek, travelling first through the fringes of the desert towards the Highwaste that will lead them north. The beasts that bother them are few and far between in the desert - between Vaan and Penelo's familiarity with the land and the ranged weaponry of Fran and Balthier, the large party is able to avoid any trying conflicts. Vaan stays ahead of the pack, busying himself with scouting and avoiding standing too close to the still unhappy princess and her knight.

They reach the Highwaste as evening falls on the land. Vaan and Penelo both argue to camp in the desert, where the dangers are known. Ashe is impatient to move just a bit further, but the rest of the party is quick to dissuade impatience. The group is quiet and fragmented that night, too exhausted from walking all day in the burning sun and high heat to do much more than eat a quick meal and collapse on the ground to sleep.

…...

A chilling howl echoes down the hill as Penelo finishes off yet another Worgen with her heavy staff. She's had more than enough of these crazy wolves - it seems ever since they set foot in the Highwaste they've had to fight through pack after pack of these creatures. But that howl… that was a lot bigger than any howls they've heard from the local packs. Mere moments later a wolf - much larger than the Worgen's they'd been encountering - bounds down the rocky slope and rushes the party.

It feels like it happens in the blink of an eye - so fast that Penelo barely catches what happens. Even before Ashe calls out the order to ready for battle, Vaan has cast off what seems to be two simultaneous spells. One hits the giant wolf, Disabling it and causing it to crash into the ground near Gabranth. The other spells settle on Vaan and Gabranth, a Haste that speeds the sword and knife work of the two into a furious blur.

The wolf is defeated in seconds, thanks to a stunning display of coordination between her Vaan and this strange Archadian. And they hadn't exchanged a single word. Even after fighting and travelling together for months, Penelo has never seen Vaan work so easily with the others. Hell, Penelo has known Vaan for most of their lives and she wasn't sure she could have read Vaan's intentions that well that quickly.

The others seem just as shocked - Ashe's mouth is slightly open and Basch is sporting that special pained look he's been wearing often since Vaan returned with an Archadian retinue. She's the first to admit she has her reservations about Gabranth as well, but… Penelo's honestly starting to be very worried by the knight's reactions around the two. And she knows her stupid thief well enough to be sure that he's more than aware of how upset Basch and Ashe still are about things.

"Why, Vaan, it seems you've been holding out on us," Balthier breaks the silence with a sarcastic clap of his hands. Penelo sees Fran shake her head behind the pirate and some of her tension fades. "

Vaan gives one of his familiar nervous laughs and cleans his blade before stowing it back in its sheath. "Well, I think that's the last of them for now," He says, in an obvious attempt to change the topic. Quickly he retakes the lead of the party, once again citing a desire to scout ahead.

….

"There you are, Vaan," Balthier's voice brings Vaan out of the quiet reverie he'd fallen into since settling on his perch above the clearing to watch the sunset over the ravine cliffs. "Hiding from your fans?"

The joke is weak and the thief barely manages to crack a smile at it. Baltheir would have needed to be deaf, dumb and blind to miss the tension that had settled over the party since setting out from Rabanastre - or to miss the continued ire heaped on the boy by the princess and her knight whenever Vaan strayed too close to the duo.

"Do you think they'll ever forgive me?" Vaan asks, a seriousness to his tone that Balthier has rarely borne witness to.

"Surely," Balthier admits, truthfully. "It's easy to be mad at you, because your actions in the end are forgivable. While they focus on you, they don't have to face their deeper furies."

Vaan squints at the man, quietly running over the words in his mind before giving a pained grin. "It's weird hearing you say something so thoughtful and deep. Must be Fran rubbing off on you."

Balthier snorts and quirks an eyebrow at the boy, "A leading man is always wise."

"Uh-huh, sure."

The two fall into a companionable silence for the next few minutes. Vaan stares thoughtfully down over the edge of the ledge he's perched on - Penelo and Larsa are practicing using the new weapons they picked up, Gabranth is sharpening his blade and keeping a wary eye on the prince as he is repeatedly knocked down by Penelo's overpowering pole swings, and Ashe and Basch are preparing dinner and ignoring the Archadian party members entirely.

"Where's Fran?" Vaan finally asks.

"There's a pair of Viera camped not far from here. Fran is seeing if there is any news worth hearing, as we are heading in the direction they have just travelled from."

"So she's gossiping," Vaan laughs, tickled by the mental image of Fran braiding her fellow Viera's hair and trading lewd stories about the silly humes they have seen.

Balthier smiles, probably thinking something very similar. "Yes, is you wish to simplify things, she is gossiping."

Vaan just cackles once more, happy to imagine the severe yet caring Fran relaxing with friends the way he's seen Penelo do on the rarer and rarer occasions that she and some other local girls would go out into the desert together. He enjoys the image a bit longer before he looks back towards Balthier, slightly concerned by the older man's quiet stillness. Vaan is definitely not used to seeing the pirate looking so reserved. So he asks, "Is something wrong?"

Bathier chuckles and shakes his head. "Nothing of the sort." He then turns towards Vaan, who hearts the soft tinkle of the man's earrings moving. "Rather, I am finding myself feeling rather thoughtful this evening."

"You have thoughts?" Vaan laughs, attempting to lighten the mood. But when he glances back at the pirate, the man's gaze is still steady and serious.

"You and Gabranth. I admit I am surprised how well the two of you seem to get along."

Vaan opens his mouth, instinctively readying an explanation before the yelling and disproving glares can get started again. But he doesn't get a single word out before Balthier nudges the boy's shoulder and continues on.

"No, just… let me speak for a moment Vaan. This isn't about him. Not really. Rather, it is…" Balthier trails off for a moment, looking over the ridge at the others for a moment as he gathers himself. "I'm a sky pirate, as you know. But before I was Balthier, sky pirate extraordinaire and leading man, I was Ffamran mied Bunansa, son of the imperial scientist Cidolfus and employed as an Archadian Judge."

"You were…" Vaan trails off, eyes wide and looking at the man in shock. He'd never really thought about who Balthier was, never thinking about the man in terms of someone with family, with a past, with… Archadian blood in him. His initial reaction is anger, and for a long moment, the scream of Zeromus echoes through the boy's mind. The esper cries for blood, for justice, and Vaan's hands clench from effort to regain his reasoning.

He looks at Balthier, and in an instant Zeromus falls quiet once again. It's clear from the haunted expression on the man's face that whatever sins of his past he carries, they have already been paid for in full. And besides, if Vaan won't condemn Gabranth than he surely won't condemn this man either.

His fingers relax at his sides and Vaan takes a long, slow breath.

"Ffamran is a ridiculous name."

Balthier blinks once, twice, then suddenly the haunted expression is gone and the cocky sky pirate is back. "Why do you think I shed it?"

…..

The next morning, Vaan allows himself to fall behind the others, until he's next to the stoic, Archadian rearguard. Once he's confidently out of earshot of all the humes around - he isn't even going to begin to guess what Fran can and can't hear - he glances over to Gabranth. "You recognized him, didn't you? Balthier?"

Gabranth makes eye contact before rolling his eyes and gently elbowing the grinning thief to the side.

"Come on, Gabranth. Don't be an asshole. Did you?"

"Not him, specifically. But he is the spitting image of his father," the Judge admits, reluctant as ever to even think about Dr. Cidolfus. Sanity and loyalty were two words that couldn't really be used to describe the researcher.

"It's hard to imagine Balthier with a father."

"It's hard to imagine Cidolfus as a father," Gabranth retorts quickly. "The man is … not someone I would wish you to ever cross paths with."

There's a stutter in Vaan's stride as the teen glances up at Gabranth. Their eyes catch each other's and Gabranth notices a faint pink tinge form on Vaan's face. Then the boy spits out a fake laugh. "He hate blondes or something?"

The lightness of the words suddenly has Gabranth feeling a frustrated rage. "Dr. Cid is not someone to take lightly," he hisses at the boy, begging the foolish thief to heed his warning and not go looking for trouble once they reach Archades.

"I'm sure we could take him. You and me against an old man? Where's the worry there."

Gabranth's hand shoots out, roughly grabbing Vaan's arm and yanking the boy around. Barely avoiding the urge to try and shake the cocky stupidity out of the young man before him, Gabranth instead reaches out and holds the boys face with his free hand and forces eye contact. "Vaan," he begins, voice nearly a growl. Even as he tries to form words he struggles with how to explain the sick _dread_ that fills him at the mere thought of Vaan and that demented doctor ever meeting. "Do not be a fool. There are people, people like Balthier's father, who are not to be trifled with. They are monsters in hume flesh and I would not wish their company on anyone."

Vaan's eyes are wide as he stares into Gabranth's own heated gaze. The Judge expected anger out of the thief in retaliation to the harsh treatment, but he can't see any of the signs of building fury he has learned to identify in Vaan's face. Instead, he is still and seemingly calm.

A heartbeat longer without the teen speaking, and Gabranth pushes further. "Vaan, promise me… I will tell you who to be wary of in Archadia, should you ever encounter them. Just promise me that if I do so you will not do anything foolish with the names."

He can feel his face softening at the response. Vaan is young and naive in many ways, but Gabranth trusts the boy's word and his good sense when he stops to think things through. He lets out a relieved sigh and loosens his hold on the body before him. "It is my duty to keep Lord Larsa safe, to serve him and Archadia to the best of my ability. But I would also protect you as much as possible," the words are whispered into the space between Gabranth and Vaan, from one man to the other. "I ask you allow that."

Vaan shakes his arm out of Gabranth's grasp and brings his freed hand up to rest on the man's shoulder, where it meets the neck. The boy blushes, but his expression is fierce and certain as he says, "We'll take care of each other. And Larsa. And Penelo. And any others we want to. But each other too."

Something in Gabranth's chest swells at the clumsy response. Forcing calm, he nods at the boy and releases his hold on the thief. As his fingers leave warm flesh, Gabranth steps away and resumes walking. His steps echo quietly on the rough stone below his feet - a single pair walking back towards the party. Then it's joined by a scratching sound and a scamper of quick footsteps as Vaan trots to catch up. The teen elbows past Gabranth with a laugh then jogs ahead and around the curve. Gabranth doesn't bother to suppress the upturn of his lips at the sight.

…


End file.
